Tornado confirmed in Bell County south of Waco as severe weather exits DFW
A tornado watch for Tarrant County was lifted Tuesday evening around 7:30 p.m.
A severe thunderstorm warning for Tarrant and several other North Texas counties ended at 6:30 p.m. as storms moved east into Dallas County. By 8:30 p.m., skies had cleared over the Fort Worth area and the rain had moved east of the DFW Metroplex.
More rain fell in Tarrant County and other parts of the region early Wednesday as the storms moved out of DFW and ushered in a cold front.
The tornado watch also included Dallas, Johnson, Anderson, Bosque, Burnett, Blaco, Coryell, Ellis, Falls, Freestone, Hays, Henderson, Hill, Kaufman, Lampasas, Leon, Limestone, McLennan, Milam, Navarro, Robertson, Rockwall, Travis, Van Zandt and Williamson counties.
A tornado was confirmed Tuesday evening in Bell County, about 40 miles south of Waco, according to the weather service. The tornado, which included golf ball sized hail, was located 10 miles east of Temple and moving northeast at 25 mph.
Bell County Sheriff Eddy Lange told Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV his county saw a “massive tornado” near Salado that left some with at least minor injuries and downed power lines and trees. His office called for ambulances for some of the injuries, but the extent of the damage isn’t yet known.
The storm had the potential to damage or destroy mobile homes, and damage to roofs, windows, vehicles and trees is likely, the weather service said.
A severe thunderstorm watch was in effect for counties in North and Central Texas west of the I-35 corridor until 9 p.m. Tuesday. Scattered hail up to tennis ball size, wind gusts up to 70 mph and frequent lightning were likely in any storms that became severe, the weather service said.
Winds will bring a cold front Wednesday, putting a temporary halt to the severe weather as it moves from west to east in the morning.
[More: Storms this week in Dallas-Fort Worth may bring hail, tornado conditions, NWS says]
The weather service also reports an elevated fire danger to the west of Fort Worth, near Cisco, with the danger spreading closer to the west of I-35 on Wednesday.
A weak front will bring scattered showers and thunderstorms to the region Saturday and Sunday, but severe storms are not expected on Easter weekend.
This story was originally published April 12, 2022 at 11:02 AM.
