A 'PDS' Tornado Watch, really?

North Texas experienced the first PDS (Particularly Dangerous Situation) Tornado Watch in five years on Tuesday. These are obviously rare and only issued when there's higher than normal confidence that long track tornadoes may develop.

So, if in theory, we had the most significant tornado threat since 2011, why did virtually no thunderstorms impact our area during the first six hours of the watch? And why were most of the storms only marginally severe once they did impact our area? Many of you canceled plans. Other folks went to great lengths to protect their vehicles from large hail. So, we completely understand the frustration that results from a lack of truly impactful weather when the forecast calls for potentially dangerous and destructive weather.

We must first point out that some areas, particularly near the Red River like Grayson and Fannin counties, did experience very severe thunderstorms.

But the vast majority of North Texas experienced little more than heavy rain, lightning, and some gusty wind. The main explanation is “the cap." Read the full explanation at WFAA.com.

This story was originally published April 27, 2016 at 5:13 PM with the headline "A 'PDS' Tornado Watch, really?."