Severe storm watch continues after tornado warnings, hail in North Texas counties
Tornado and thunderstorm watches and numerous warnings were issued for Dallas-Fort Worth as severe weather threatened the area Monday night.
The tornado watch, which the National Weather Service issued at 3:46 p.m. and continued through 11 p.m., encompassed 33 counties, including Tarrant, Dallas, Ellis, Collin, Cooke, Denton, Hill, Hood, Johnson, Parker and Wise. Although the tornado watch expired, a severe thunderstorm watch for much of North and Central Texas will continue until 3 a.m. Tuesday.
As of about 11:30 p.m., the worst of the storms appeared to have missed Tarrant County, which had some reports of smaller hail, about nickel size.
One or more tornadoes may have touched down just south of Dallas-Fort Worth. Hail golf ball-size or larger dropped down in areas including Parker, Hood and Johnson counties. The biggest hail — over 3 inches in diameter — was reported in Rio Vista.
Tornado warnings were issued across parts of North Texas as storms moved through the state. Severe storms were expected to bring a few tornadoes, hail up to softball size and wind gusts up to 80 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.
A possible tornado touched down north of Forreston near Interstate 35E in Ellis County.
A tornado warning was issued for Collin County through 8 p.m. A tornado warning was also issued for Johnson, Ellis and Hill counties after a possible tornado developed west of Blum and moved north. Johnson County Emergency Management reported large hail but no damage from the tornado.
A tornado warning was issued for northeastern Hood and northwestern Johnson counties at 6:08 p.m. A possible tornado was reported east of Granbury. Video taken by a storm chaser and posted on Twitter showed what looked like a funnel cloud in the sky, but didn’t show it touching down. At about 6:30 p.m., the rotation appeared to have weakened and the warning was canceled.
Storm damage
In Ellis County south of Waxahachie, where a possible tornado was reported, emergency crews responded to a large crash on the interstate, the National Weather Service said. Storm chasers reported to the NWS that a tornado crossed I-35E and damaged semi-trucks and cars. Photos of the crash from Fox 4 News and WFAA-TV showed three semi-trucks flipped on their sides. Three people were taken to hospitals in unknown conditions, WFAA reported. Fox 4 reported at least one death.
Some cars were stuck in rushing water on roads near the interstate, Fox 4 News reported.
The Brazos Drive-in Theatre in Granbury posted photos on Facebook of what appeared to be storm damage. Fences and signs were knocked over, and the post said, “Closed until further notice.”
A possible tornado was reported east of Granbury in the area of the drive-in.
Also in Granbury, the roof was ripped off Crossing Place Church on Highway 377, according to WFAA. Emergency officials reported no one was inside the church and there were no injuries.
Forecast
As the cold front surges through, storm chances should shift across East and Central Texas early Tuesday morning.
It will be much cooler on Tuesday as the high temperature should just reach 71 in Tarrant County.
Daytime temperatures for the rest of the week should be in the 70s to lower 80s in North Texas.
This story was originally published May 3, 2021 at 4:00 PM.
