Severe storms delayed but could strike North Texas on Thursday before heat wave hits
Scattered storms are expected to begin Wednesday evening north and west of Dallas-Fort Worth as a cold front moves through North Texas, bringing frequent lightning and locally heavy rainfall to the area.
The first storms that develop are expected to move northeast into Oklahoma over several hours through the evening, according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.
A layer of warm, stable air (called a “cap” by weather scientists) several thousand feet up has slowed the formation of the weather system, National Weather Service Meteorologist Bianca Garcia said Wednesday evening.
Severe storms still could move into the DFW Metroplex, but the timing has been delayed and might not happen until the early morning hours Thursday, according to the latest forecast.
There is a 20% chance of rain Wednesday night and a 90% chance during the day Thursday, with clear skies expected Thursday night. Severe weather is possible including the threat of damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes. Rainfall amounts between 1-2 inches are possible in isolated areas, with a chance of minor flooding.
The tornado watch that was issued for some North Texas counties, including Parker, Denton and Palo Pinto, expired at 10 p.m. Wednesday. The weather service has issued an new tornado watch until 4 a.m. Thursday for the counties of Jack, Montague and Young.
Temperatures are expected to heat up into the weekend. After a predicted high in the upper 80s Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be summer-like with highs in the upper 90s to near 100.
Conditions will remain hot early next week with high temperatures forecast in the low to mid 90s through Wednesday, according to the weather service.
This story was originally published May 4, 2022 at 9:22 AM.
