North Texas storm damage includes baseball-size hail, brief tornado confirmed in Frisco
Hail up to baseball size and a confirmed tornado were reported in some parts of North Texas as the region was under a severe thunderstorm watch Thursday night.
The largest hailstones, ranging from about 1.5 to 3 inches in diameter, were reported in Denton and Collin counties, including near Argyle, Bartonville, Corinth, Double Oak, Frisco, Highland Village, Lake Dallas, Lincoln Park, Prosper, Roanoke and Trophy Club, according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.
Tornado warnings also were issued for parts of Denton and Collin counties.
Video shared to social media appeared to show a tornado near the University of North Texas Frisco campus, according to the National Weather Service.
On Friday, the weather service said that its damage survey team found evidence to confirm a brief, EF-0 tornado near UNT Frisco. Maximum winds were estimated at 85 mph, and the tornado’s path was less than a quarter mile. Only minor damage was observed, according to the weather service, which shared a photo of uprooted trees.
No injuries were reported.
Here is the tornado track. Length was 0.20 miles pic.twitter.com/a7gUe8o1ol
— NWS Fort Worth (@NWSFortWorth) March 15, 2024
A storm chaser on Facebook posted video and photos showing damage to a car that appeared to have been picked up and dropped in a parking lot at the UNT Frisco campus. No one was inside the car. Frisco police responded to the report, but had to assist other areas that received damage, according to the post.
The car’s owner, Noel Hernandez, told WFAA-TV that he was working in a building on campus and didn’t hear or see anything. A coworker told him that his car was lifted and rolled over by the powerful winds.
“When my coworker looked out, the car was tossed across the lot,” Hernandez told WFAA in Spanish.
The roof of the Hyundai was caved in, the back windshield was shattered, and the front and rear bumpers were destroyed, he said.
Other reports on social media said strong winds ripped a portion of a sheet-metal roof off a strip mall and blew it into the road near North Preston Road and Hickory Creek Drive in Prosper, according to the NWS.
Celina police and fire crews responded to structure fires at around 7 p.m. while actively working storm-related damage calls, city officials said in a news release. There were no reported injuries or deaths in the area due to storms or storm damage, officials said.
The city also encountered heavy hail and high winds, but no tornadoes, according to Celina city officials.
BIG hail in Trophy Club! https://t.co/idQXJJBiP1
— Pete Delkus (@wfaaweather) March 14, 2024
Smaller hail about quarter size was reported in Tarrant County near Haslet.
The Dallas-Fort Worth area was included in a severe storm watch that was in effect until midnight Friday.
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