Storms with strong winds dump heavy rains on North Texas; windy day in forecast
A line of thunderstorms rolled through North Texas on Wednesday morning, packing heavy rains, hail and winds with gusts of more than 60 mph in some neighborhoods.
No major damage was reported.
The severe weather caused delays on all DART rail lines Wednesday morning and more than 41,000 residents in Dallas and Tarrant counties were without power because of the storms, according to Oncor.
For Tarrant County, the storms have passed through, but a severe thunderstorm watch was still in effect until 10 a.m. Wednesday for counties in the eastern part of North and Central Texas.
A flood advisory was in effect for several hours Wednesday morning for parts of Tarrant and Dallas counties as heavy rains had caused flooding in urban areas and stream flooding. At 5 a.m., radar had estimated rain rates exceeded one inch per 15 minutes.
Some locations that experienced flooding included Fort Worth, Arlington, Euless, Bedford, Grapevine and Haltom City.
A severe thunderstorm warning was issued at about 5 a.m. for several North Texas counties including Tarrant County as the fast-moving storms dumped the heavy rains and radar indicated winds of over 60 mph were measured in Arlington and Cleburne, according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.
The storms had the potential for nickel size hail and 70 mph wind gusts.
Rain continued to linger in Tarrant County Wednesday morning.
The high temperature should reach 61 on Wednesday, but North Texans should get ready for a windy day.
A wind advisory is in effect from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday as sustained winds will be from 20 to 30 mph with wind gusts of 40 mph.
Meteorologists at the NWS in Fort Worth advised residents to secure outdoor furniture and objects, and they also warned that driving on area roadways may become difficult.
An elevated fire danger threat exists for counties to the west of Interstate 35, according to the NWS in Fort Worth.
This story was originally published March 17, 2021 at 6:30 AM.
