A powerful, fast-moving line of thunderstorms — and possible tornadoes — battered Dallas-Fort Worth on Thursday, leaving toppled trees, damaged businesses and hundreds of thousands without power in its wake.
Weatherford police confirmed on Facebook a tornado touched down Thursday afternoon. No further details could be shared because officials were still assessing damages to the area, and the National Weather Service in Fort Worth has yet to confirm the twister. Windows were reportedly blown out in the city about 60 miles west of Dallas. No injuries were reported as of Thursday night.
Weatherford ISD announced schools and offices will be closed Friday because of “widespread power outages, debris on roads, and minor damage” to some campuses. Police encouraged residents to watch for debris and stay off the roads.
In Dallas, tornado sirens gave way to dark storm clouds, high winds and jolting lightning about 6:30 p.m. Gusts of more than 70 mph were recorded at DFW International Airport, and an unconfirmed tornado was detected by radar in the southern part of Dallas County, where a warning had been issued, according to the weather service.
Anxiety about the storms had been brewing since midday, as neighboring cities saw hail and heavy rain; some events in the region were canceled or rescheduled ahead of the inclement conditions, and numerous flights were canceled.
Storms eased about 8 p.m. as the system shifted eastward; however, a tornado watch was in effect until 10 p.m. for most of North Texas, including Dallas, Collin, Tarrant and Denton counties.
More than 260,000 customers in Dallas-Fort Worth were without power as of 8:50 p.m., according to Oncor. The electric utility said crews would be ready to work throughout the night to restore service as long as it was safe to do so.
The weather service had anticipated winds up to 75 mph and hail as large as baseballs — an alert warned, soberly, of “DESTRUCTIVE STORMS WITH TORNADO LIKE WIND SPEEDS.” The weather service cautioned residents not to park cars near big trees and advised people to seek shelter away from windows as phones and sirens blared.
Damaged reported to power lines, businesses
Videos and images shared online captured the destruction even as the system was still moving through North Texas.
Servando Salazar recorded large flashes of light that appeared to be exploding transformers near downtown Dallas from his apartment building near Klyde Warren Park about 6:30 p.m. and posted a video to Twitter. Others, in Denton and Tarrant counties, took to social media to share videos of fiery power lines.
High, whirling winds uprooted trees, knocked over fences and damaged roofs in White Settlement, police Chief Christopher Cook tweeted. JD’s Hamburgers, a popular burger joint in west Fort Worth, said in a Facebook post the winds blew off a good portion of their roof and entire roof sign. The eatery will be closed Friday.
The roof of the Amazon facility in Balch Springs partially collapsed and awnings were damaged, but no employees were injured, an emergency management official told KDFW-TV (Channel 4). In Little Elm, the facade of a La Azteca Meat Market collapsed on the sidewalk and parked cars below, and strong winds tore through docks along Lewisville Lake.
Officials in Richardson asked people west of U.S. Highway 75 to use water only for emergency needs late Thursday. The loss of power at pumping stations caused a critical shortage to the city’s supply, and the water could run out unless residents stop using it, the city said.
A Dallas-Fire Rescue spokesman said the department responded to two high-water incidents, four automatic fire alarms and 76 utility wires or transformers calls. The fire department was called just before 8:30 p.m. to a reports of heavy smoke outside of a large commercial warehouse in Stemmons Corridor. It was not immediately known whether it was related to the storm.
The storm also left multiple traffic incidents in its path. Dallas-Fire Rescue was called to 40 accidents, according to the spokesman. MedStar, which operates in Tarrant County, reported 21 crashes. Four people were taken to area hospitals, a spokesman said.
An overturned truck tractor blocked lanes on Interstate 20 in southeast Dallas, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office said. Another truck was jackknifed near I-20 and Bonnie View Road in southeast Oak Cliff.
Winds blew over four 18-wheelers near U.S. 75 north of Bloomdale Road in McKinney, police said. Minor injuries were reported, and officials asked drivers to avoid the area.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit said in a tweet that bus and rail passengers should expect delays because of the severe weather.
Cooler, windy weather ahead
A wind advisory will remain in effect until Friday morning, according to the NWS. Winds between 20 and 30 mph and gusts up to 45 mph are expected throughout North Texas, the forecast says. The weather service reminded people to secure outdoor objects and drive cautiously.
Some localized flood warnings also were issued through Saturday morning, including along the Trinity River and White Rock Creek in Dallas and the East Fork Trinity River in McKinney. Only minor flooding was forecast.
The forecast from KXAS-TV (NBC5) calls for cooler temperatures Friday and throughout the weekend, with lows in the 40s. Friday’s temperature is expected to reach just 62 degrees, with highs in the low 70s Saturday and Sunday.
Staff writers Noor Adatia, Hojun Choi, Aria Jones, Zaeem Shaikh and Isabella Volmert contributed to this report.
