When is peak tornado season in North Texas? Here’s when the severe events most often occur

According to data from the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, more than half of tornadoes that swept through North and Central Texas in the last five years occurred in the months of March, April and May. Last year, only one of the 15 tornadoes swept through the region did not occur in those months and touched down in October.

“Generally, March, April, May is our peak season for North Central Texas,” Allison Prater, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service office in Fort Worth, said in April.

March through early June are generally high peak severe seasons, Prater said, but severe weather can happen anytime of the year. She said it does quiet down a little in the summer although the region does see storms, referred to as popcorn convection, which are typically small short-lived storms common in the afternoon.

There is a secondary peak severe season into October and November, she said.

“We’re still warm, but we’re starting to get stronger cold fronts, which can also spur stronger systems,” Prater said.

In December 2022, for example, North Texas saw at least 14 tornadoes touch down, six of which were in Tarrant County.

Ultimately, it depends on the storm systems itself and the environmental conditions, Prater said. Factors conducive for a tornado include increased wind shear, the change in directions the winds are blowing at the surface and at higher elevations and a great deal of moisture.

Portions of North Texas also fall into the Tornado Alley, a term coined by two meteorologists in the 1950s that describes the area believed where tornadoes are the most frequent.

“Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, going into even the Texas Panhandle and portions of North Texas consider themselves in the Tornado Alley,” Prater said.

Tornadoes are rated on the Enhanced Fujita scale from the EF0 (lowest) to EF5 (highest), measuring wind speed and storm damage. Last year, several EF1 tornadoes touched down in North Texas, including one in Irving that tore off part of a facade of a car dealership.

With the first day of spring a little over a week away, Prater said North Texans can expect to see more severe weather. According to the weather service, strong to severe storms are possible Thursday night through Friday afternoon.

An isolated tornado “can’t be ruled out, especially Friday afternoon east of I-35,” the weather service said. An ensuing cold front is expected to end storm chances by Friday evening.

“We’ll be a little cooler this weekend, we’ll be in the 50s and 60s on Saturday and Sunday,” Prater said.