Storms west and north of Tarrant County on Wednesday bring some relief to extreme heat

Areas north and west of Tarrant County got some relief from the oven-like temperatures Wednesday evening as slow-moving storms moved through parts of North Texas.

Palo Pinto County was under a severe thunderstorm warning that expired before 8 p.m. Small hail and gusty winds up to 50 mph were possible. At 8:30 p.m., a storm hovered near Strawn in the southwest part of the county.

A line of storms stretched from just south of Sherman to the southwest through Palo Pinto County, but was fading in intensity.

The ongoing wildfire near Possum Kingdom Lake, which spans the northwest part of the county, has destroyed homes and burned about 500 acres, according to authorities.

Also, the National Weather Service reported some damage to homes and trees in Wise County.

At 6 p.m., high winds caused major structural damage to a house in the 200 block of Runaway Bay Drive in Runaway Bay, according to reports. The winds also caused damage to trees. Another house was damaged by high winds on County Road 1770 northwest of Chico, the weather service said.

The weather service predicts a 20% chance of rain after 1 a.m. Thursday in the Fort Worth area. There is also a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms throughout the day Thursday, the weather service said.

All of North Texas should receive a brief respite from the extreme heat, with forecast high temperatures near 100 Thursday.

But the slightly cooler weather won’t last long. High temperatures should be back to about 102 over the weekend and approaching 104 by Monday and Tuesday, according to the weather service.

DFW Airport set a record Wednesday with a high temperature of 109.

This story was originally published July 20, 2022 at 8:46 PM.