The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and Houston were pummeled by powerful thunderstorms on Tuesday, leaving over a million residents without power and triggering widespread damage.
Baseball-sized hail, hurricane-force winds, and the threat of tornadoes prompted emergency alerts and outdoor sirens, leaving residents scrambling for safety.
Dallas County bore the brunt of the outages, with officials warning that power restoration could take days. Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins signed a disaster declaration in response to the severe weather and its aftermath.
Where were the highest wind speeds in DFW on Tuesday morning? Here’s the list:
- Denton: 83 mph
- Valley Ranch: 80 mph
- DFW Airport: 77 mph
- Love Field: 75 mph
- Little Elm 77 mph
- Arlington: 77 mph
- Sachse: 73 mph
- The Colony: 95 mph
- Mabank: 70 mph
- Lavon: 76 mph
- Richardson: 76 mph
- Irving: 71 mph
- Saint Paul: 70 mph
- Henderson: 70 mph
- Double Oak: 86 mph
This latest storm system follows closely on the heels of a devastating tornado that claimed seven lives and injured over 100 near Valley View, Texas, just days earlier. The tragedy serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of severe weather in the region.
Did Computer Models Properly Forecast The Massive High-Wind Storms That Hit Dallas?
Computer models were able to predict Tuesday’s severe storms in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but the timing and intensity were underestimated by most. The most accurate model was developed by the National Severe Storms Laboratory. While some models did a good job providing a heads-up, others predicted nothing or missed the Metroplex entirely, highlighting the importance of human meteorologists in interpreting model data for the best possible forecast.
“…there were some models that were going for ABSOLUTELY NOTHING Tuesday morning, or even if some were predicting storms, they had the storms missing the Metroplex by 50 miles or more.
This is why you cannot rely on a single computer model, which many weather apps do, to give you the best forecast. Thus, depending on which weather app you have, you were either prepared for the disaster that ensued, or you were taken completely by surprise.” Steve McCauley – Meteorologist, WFAA Dallas said in a Facebook post.
Northwest Flow Storm
“The storms in a northwest flow can bring damaging winds as we saw yesterday. Remember a few years ago when a crane collapsed on an apartment building in Dallas during a storm? That was from a northwest flow. This pattern is very hard to time the storms” Rick Mitchell – NBC affiliate Meteorologist commenting on the Northwest Flow storm.
Significant Damage and Ongoing Threats
Reports of extensive damage poured in from across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with baseball-sized hail pummeling communities like Lowry Crossing. Flipped tractor-trailers and damaged roofs further underscore the storm’s intensity.
As residents grapple with power outages and assess the damage, concerns remain high about the potential for additional severe weather later in the week. The National Weather Service has issued flood warnings for the region, and the threat of more storms looms large.
Stay safe, Dallas!