Severe thunderstorm warning expires for Dallas-Fort Worth area
The cluster of storms moving through parts of Dallas and Tarrant counties is “no longer severe,” the National Weather Service said after the severe thunderstorm warning issued Friday afternoon expired.
Areas of North Texas were placed under the warning as storms capable of producing strong winds and small hail began to move through the region.
The warning, which included western and central Dallas County and southeastern Tarrant County, was issued about 4 p.m. and expired at 5 p.m. A warning is an urgent advisory requiring people in the area to seek immediate shelter.
Earlier Friday afternoon, the weather service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for most of North Texas. The watch, which means the conditions are favorable for severe weather to develop, is set to expire at 8 p.m.
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A little more than 1,700 Oncor customers in Dallas-Fort Worth were without power Friday evening, according to the utility company’s outage map. Most of the utility’s outages were centered around Austin and Killeen as storms moved through Central Texas.
Here we go again⛈️
Severe storms are possible across much of the region this afternoon & evening.
The main window for severe weather is roughly between 3-9 PM. Stay weather alert and make sure to have multiple ways to receive warnings. #dfwwx #ctxwx #txwx pic.twitter.com/NF1bf0uk5P — NWS Fort Worth (@NWSFortWorth) April 28, 2023
“The main hazards are going to be hail and wind,” NWS meteorologist Hunter Reeves said of the severe-weather threat.
Storms may linger in the area behind the cold front overnight, according to the weather service.
“It’s going to be another thing to keep an eye on for sure,” Reeves said. “Especially after [Wednesday]’s storm events, people are a bit on edge for severe weather; it is that time of year.”
All in-person events at Dallas College are canceled with all classes and services going to an online format after 2 p.m. in anticipation of the weather. Early voting locations will remain open on the campuses, Dallas College said in an alert Friday.
Lightning-heavy storms moved through the Dallas-Fort Worth area Wednesday, but the bulk of the severe storm activity, including baseball-size hail, remained south of Interstate 20. The weather service received information about tornadoes briefly touching down in Central Texas, but there were no reports of damage, Reeves said.
A car splashes through standing water after an afternoon thunderstorm at Churchill Way and U.S. 75, Friday, April 28, 2023 in Dallas. (Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer)
Two children were hospitalized Wednesday evening in Fort Worth after a tree that they were playing near was struck by lightning.
Storms on Wednesday also caused delays at DFW International Airport and at Dallas Love Field and power outages in Dallas and Fort Worth. Wednesday’s storms also produced pea-size hail in some parts of Dallas County, the weather service has said.
More of the Dallas-Fort Worth area is expected to be impacted by severe storm activity, and golf ball—size hail is possible for areas near Dallas-Fort Worth, Reeves said.
“For this event, we’re going to have a whole cold front moving from the west into the east, so the metroplex is more likely to be included in some of that severe weather because the orientation of the system that is moving through is different from Wednesday’s storms,” he said.
Following Friday’s storms, temperatures are expected to drop to the mid-50s, with highs in the mid-60s Saturday, Reeves said.
Some rain is possible Saturday morning, but storms should clear out by the afternoon, he said.
“And Sunday we should have sunny skies,” Reeves said.
The latest forecast from KXAS-TV (NBC5):
SATURDAY: Blustery and cooler with decreasing clouds. Low: 50. High: 66.
SUNDAY: Mostly sunny and milder. Low: 51. High: 77.
MONDAY: Mostly sunny and mild. Low: 55. High: 78.
TUESDAY: Partly sunny and mild. Low: 58. High: 79.
Staff writers Aria Jones and Zaeem Shaikh contributed to this report.
Source: The Dallas Morning News
