Roof damage reported, thousands without power from severe storm in Fort Worth area
Around 62,000 people in Fort Worth were without power and 18-wheelers were reportedly overturned after a severe storm front moved through Tarrant County on Thursday evening, but no loss of life has been reported so far, according to the Fort Worth Fire Department.
MedStar confirmed an 18-wheeler was involved in a rollover, as were two other vehicles. Four people were taken to hospitals because of storm-related crashes, of which there were 21 reported.
With wind speeds surpassing 70 mph, warning sirens in Fort Worth were sounded around 5:40 p.m. Thursday, prompting people to rush outdoor furniture inside and others to stand and gaze up at dark, fast-moving clouds and the signs of impending rain.
Police and fire department personnel were responding Thursday evening to several calls about downed power lines, likely due to high wind speeds.
The fire department said just after 7 p.m. that firefighters were responding to two working fires in the wake of the storm, but it wouldn’t be clear until after an investigation if the severe weather caused them.
In north Fort Worth, the Fort Worth Office of Emergency Management had received reports of damage to roofs and fences of homes, and throughout the city there was lawn furniture, trampolines and other debris strewn throughout streets and across yards.
No tornado warning was issued in Tarrant County, but residents shared a video with the Star-Telegram that appears to show a funnel cloud near Northlake and the Texas Motor Speedway.
JD’s Hamburgers on Camp Bowie West Boulevard in far west Fort Worth will be closed Friday after losing “a good portion” of its roof and roof sign, owner Gigi Howell posted on Facebook.
An apartment complex in Hurst — Hunter Chase — had roof damage and broken windows, according to a report made to the National Weather Service. About two dozen residents of the apartments were displaced and were being assisted by the Red Cross, KDFW-TV reported.
In White Settlement, Police Chief Christopher Cook reported wind damage including a large tree uprooted and leaning into utility pole lines, fences down in some neighborhoods, and major roof damage to a business in the 1500 block of South Cherry.
Definitely some wind damage in our city with tree uprooted in 100 block of Saddle and leaning into utility pole lines, fences down in some neighborhoods, and major roof damage to business in 1500 block of S. Cherry. pic.twitter.com/lbdeHK6Wpt
— Christopher Cook (@cooktx) March 3, 2023
In North Richland Hills, emergency dispatchers answered over 400 calls in three hours, police said in a news release. Officials noted widespread damage including large trees uprooted and power outages across the city. Residents were asked to call 817-281-1000 about downed lines or debris blocking major roadways. Debris blocking minor roadways can be reported online at nrhtx.com/reportconcern
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
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.
