The Latest: Severe weather watch expires in Tarrant, Dallas counties after storms Friday
The severe thunderstorm watch for Tarrant and Dallas counties has expired, according to the National Weather Service. The watch continues for areas to the east and south until 9 a.m.
A severe thunderstorm warning announced for Tarrant County until 6:15 a.m. was allowed to expire. The storm weakened below the severe limit, but NWS officials said gusty winds were still possible.
Widespread showers and storms moved into the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex around 6:25 a.m. and NWS officials advised commuters to give themselves plenty of time to get to work. The storms were bringing frequent lightning, gusty winds and heavy rain.
A tornado warning was in effect until 5:30 a.m. for southeast Wise and northeast Parker counties. At 5:04, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located near Poolville, or 11 miles south of Bridgeport, moving northeast at 55 mph.
About 5 a.m. in Parker County, the fire department reported a mobile overturned with two people trapped inside in the 4900 block of Lone Star Road, just west of Poolville, according to a NWS storm damage tracker.
Take a look at this, damage to this home in Poolville. The owner, Eric, tells me his family of four were inside and were bounding around the mobile home. The entire house was lifted off the property and thrown to the side. There are some injuries to him, his wife. @CBSNewsTexas pic.twitter.com/VC1pUmzyaq
— Nick Starling (@NickStarlingTV) March 24, 2023
#new - @_KennediWalker on scene in northern Parker County where a mobile home overturned during the storm. Emergency management confirms 2 people hurt. More coverage at 6:30am @CBSNewsTexas pic.twitter.com/VL2HCrPYpR
— Stewart McKenzie (@CBS11Stew) March 24, 2023
Another trailer was overturned with three people inside in the 2500 block of Bounty Road, southwest of Whitt.
Sean Hughes, the emergency management coordinator for Parker County, said the RVs were overturned due to strong wind. There were no serious injuries and first responders helped get everyone out, he said.
There was a hole in the roof at Oak Tree Baptist Church after the church’s steeple was ripped off by the wind, WFAA-TV reported.
The Oak Tree Baptist Church in Poolville has a hole in the roof after the church steeple was ripped off by the storms this morning. Huge trees were also splintered. #IAmUp #wfaaweather @wfaaweather pic.twitter.com/vH6mLeCE0d
— Chris Sadeghi (@chrissadeghi) March 24, 2023
A more than 100-year-old tabernacle that was a community meeting place for Poolville collapsed, and the town plans to rebuild it, WFAA reported.
Heartbreaking damage in Poolville.
A tabernacle more than 100 years old that served as a community meeting place since the time the town was founded collapsed on itself. Winds were strong enough to uproot a giant oak tree next to it.#wfaaweather @wfaaweather @wfaa pic.twitter.com/E5im0aX8SA— Chris Sadeghi (@chrissadeghi) March 24, 2023
Large trees also were damaged in the area.
Hughes also said there was some sporadic damage from wind across Parker County but didn’t give specific details.
Danie Huffman, the spokesperson for the Parker County Sheriff’s Office, said they have gotten calls about wind damage and debris.
Storm Reports
This map contains continuously updated storm reports and damage from the National Weather Service for the past 48 hours. Reports include tornado, wind storm and hail storm reports. The map also includes tornado reports for the past week and recent rainfall accumulations. Sources: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Esri.
Texas Highway 199 near the Wise/Parker County line was shut down due to power lines across the road. An overturned RV was reported near that location.
Poolville ISD delayed school buses and classes by two hours. Weatherford ISD delayed buses by 30 minutes.
Fort Worth ISD said some buses might be delayed. “Be weather aware & ensure your children’s safety on their way to school,” the school district said in a social media post. “Buses may be delayed. Please plan ahead & allow extra time for your child’s commute. In the event of weather impacts, tardy procedures are suspended at the start of the day.”
A severe storm warning was in effect for Collin, Grayson and Fannin counties until 7:30.
A severe thunderstorm watch was initially in effect until 9 a.m Friday for several North Texas counties, including Tarrant, Dallas, Denton and Collin, but expired early in some areas. The storms were expected to be capable of producing large hail, winds up to 70 miles per hour and a couple of tornadoes, according to the weather service. Hail could be up to 1.5 inches — about the size of ping-pong balls — in some areas.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been extended to include more North Texas counties including Dallas, Tarrant, Denton, and Collin counties until 9am. Storms moving into this area are capable of producing 65 mph winds, large hail and a brief tornado. #wfaaweather pic.twitter.com/AlWCXeQVuZ
— Pete Delkus (@wfaaweather) March 24, 2023
A ground stop that was in place for flights at DFW Airport early Friday morning was lifted. Another ground stop was put in place about 8:45 and was expected to last until 10:30 a.m.
Shortly before 8 a.m. the flight status tracker Flight Aware showed flights departing from DFW were delayed an average of 30 minutes or more. Inbound flights were being delayed at their origin an average of 35 minutes.
Flights that were already airborne were delayed an average of nearly 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Oncor was reporting more than 1,900 electric customers without power as of 7:20 a.m., including more than 400 each in Parker, Wise and Denton counties and more than 300 in Dallas County.
Electric outages Dallas - Fort Worth vicinity
Here is Oncor's power outages map. Outage information is sent from Oncor to the outage map every 10 minutes. Source: stormcenter.oncor.com
A live data feed from the National Weather Service containing official weather warnings, watches, and advisory statements. Tap warning areas for more details. Sources: NOAA, National Weather Service, NOAA GeoPlatform and Esri.
The storms will continue to move east and will be out of the area by afternoon.
This map shows the 3-day weather outlook for storms by the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. Sources: National Weather Service, Esri.