Texas residents near the Fort Worth area were urged to take shelter inside a sturdy building on Tuesday morning as an "extremely dangerous" storm approached the area.
National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists issued the severe thunderstorm warning for northwestern Kaufman County, southeastern Denton County, northeastern Tarrant County, southwestern Collin County and Dallas County. The warning is set to expire at 6:30 a.m. CT. Winds of up to 80 miles per hour and half-dollar-sized hail are expected.
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"This is an EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. Mobile homes and high profile vehicles are especially susceptible to winds of this magnitude and may be overturned," the warning said. "For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building. This storm has the potential to cause serious injury and significant property damage."
Newsweek reached out to NWS Fort Worth by phone for comment.
Shortly after meteorologists issued the severe thunderstorm warning, they also issued a tornado warning for southern Rockwall County, northwestern Kaufman County and eastern Dallas County. The tornado warning has since expired.
Meteorologists extended the warning's time before it was set to expire. The warning is now set to expire at 7:30 a.m. Central time.
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The strong storm comes as Texas has experienced a turbulent month of severe weather, including deadly tornadoes. In addition, moisture-laden storms have caused excessive rainfall and flooding in eastern Texas. In southern Texas, high heat and humidity have sent the heat index soaring past 110 degrees Fahrenheit in multiple areas.
Meteorologists issued alerts for the storm on Tuesday morning after seeing its development on weather radar.
"Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be heavily damaged. Expect considerable damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles," the NWS warning said. "Extensive tree damage and power outages are likely."
The NWS office in Fort Worth shared a brief video of the radar on X (formerly Twitter) as the region was under the thunderstorm warning and urged residents to "take cover now" after noting rotation was present.
KEYE-TV Austin meteorologist Avery Tomasco posted on X that "widespread wind damage" was likely in Dallas after 70 to 80 mph wind gusts were confirmed.
"This is going to be a mess, right in the middle of the morning commute," he said.
Widespread wind damage is likely in Dallas momentarily. 70-80 MPH wind gusts have been confirmed at the surface.
— Avery Tomasco (@averytomascowx) May 28, 2024
This is going to be a mess, right in the middle of the morning commute #txwx pic.twitter.com/9wJnmlkiov
A much larger region of north-central Texas was under a thunderstorm watch, indicating that dangerous storms could develop later in the day. The severe thunderstorm watch and severe thunderstorm warning extended into southern Oklahoma.
Update 5/28/24, 8:45 ET: This story was updated with additional information.
About the writer
Anna Skinner is a Newsweek senior reporter based in Indianapolis. Her focus is reporting on the climate, environment and weather ... Read more
