Tornado warning canceled in Tarrant County; watch continues amid rain and high winds
As torrential rain and damaging winds moved through the region Friday evening, weather spotters reported seeing a funnel cloud near Forest Hill, according to the National Weather Service.
A tornado warning that had been issued for southern Tarrant County was canceled about 6:30 p.m.
“Even if the storm doesn’t produce a tornado, it could produce strong damaging straight-line winds,” the weather service said.
The storm moved through Arlington, Bedford and Hurst at about 6:30 p.m., the weather service said.
At 5:58 p.m., the weather service said the tornado with this storm has likely dissipated, but the storm could still produce straight-line winds as high as 60-70 mph.
A law enforcement officer reported ping-pong ball size hail near Everman High School about 6 p.m.
The storm was expected to be near Fort Worth and Arlington about 6:30 p.m.
In Fort Worth, firefighters were dispatched to South Freeway at Huguley Boulevard for a water rescue after someone called authorities to say her car went down a ditch and was floating down a stream.
A tornado watch is in effect for the North Texas region until 9 p.m. Friday. Other parts of the state also could see severe weather. Areas of the state under an enhanced risk include Houston, San Antonio and Austin as well as Fort Worth and Dallas, according to the weather service.
Some Dallas-Fort Worth area schools have canceled after-school activities.
Sarah Barnes, a meteorologist with the weather service, said torrential rain, very large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes will all be possible. An influx of moisture moved into the region ahead of a big cold front. There should also be wind shear, she said, or a changing of the direction of the wind.
Those “thunderstorm ingredients,” put together, are expected to produce rain, hail and wind widespread across Tarrant, Dallas and Johnson counties, Barnes said. Tornadoes could develop with little warning anywhere in the DFW Metroplex, I-35 corridor and Waco region further south, according to the weather service.
Many people could be driving home from work when the storms hit, she said, making the time period an especially bad one for severe weather. She advises residents — whether they’re in a car or at home — know where to go for safety and keep an eye on the forecast.
“You don’t want to miss something important,” she said.
The weather service has reminded residents on social media it’s never a good idea to park under an overpass amid severe weather, since it doesn’t provide protection from the wind and can lead to traffic problems.
The Dallas-Fort Worth region is under a flash flood watch from noon Friday until 3 a.m. Saturday, with a possibility of 2 to 4 inches of rain that could flood areas with poor drainage as well as creeks, streams and rivers. The weather service also issued a hazardous weather outlook for Friday during the day and night, which mentions the possibility of tornadoes.
A January tornado is almost unheard of in Tarrant County, happening on only one confirmed occasion in 2017, according to records from the National Weather Service going back to 1880.
But on Friday, 10 days into the new year, moist and windy conditions across the Dallas-Fort Worth region are ideal for the dangerous weather event. And that’s only part of the anticipated severe weather.
The severe weather Friday, though unusual given the time of year, shows “weather doesn’t discriminate” or “care what season it is,” Barnes said.
The tornado season in North Texas might typically be in the spring, she said, but conditions on Friday will be ripe for funnel clouds. That includes moisture at low levels and wind shear at low levels.
The weather service was using social media Friday to encourage people to be “weather-aware” and avoid traveling in the late afternoon and evening if possible.
Gov. Greg Abbott said boats, helicopters, medical and rescue teams have been placed on standby in case they are needed, according to the Associated Press.
“I ask that all Texans keep those in the storm’s path and all of Texas’ first responders in their prayers as they deal with the effects of this storm,” Abbott said in a statement.
The national Storm Prediction Center said more than 18 million people in Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma will be at an enhanced risk of storms Friday that could include strong tornadoes and flooding rains, according to the AP.
This story was originally published January 10, 2020 at 10:59 AM.
