Tornado watch issued for Dallas-Fort Worth; twisters reported in North, Central Texas

A tornado watch and severe thunderstorm warning were issued Friday for parts of North Texas, including Dallas-Fort Worth, with more severe storms expected to hit throughout the weekend.

The tornado watch will be in effect until 6 p.m., according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.

Possible tornadoes were witnessed in three areas south of Dallas-Fort Worth, in Navarro and McLennan counties, with the weather service having preliminary confirmation through photos or videos.

It is still unclear if there was more than one tornado in those areas, and there could have been additional weather events through North and Central Texas. The weather service will need to survey the damage, said Monique Sellers, a meteorologist with the NWS.

The severe thunderstorm warning, which brought threats of large hail and winds up to 65 mph, expired at 1 p.m.

“Have multiple ways to receive warnings and be prepared to take shelter if a warning is issued for your location,” the weather service said.

The weather service said at least two more rounds of severe storms are possible throughout the weekend, with the first window being Saturday afternoon into early Sunday morning and the second, Sunday afternoon into Sunday evening.

The greatest severe weather potential will be late Saturday night into Sunday morning.

In addition to lingering threats of hail and damaging winds, the risk for flash flooding will increase Saturday night west of Interstate 35 and then again through Sunday across East Texas, according to the weather service.

Dallas-Fort Worth is expected to see roughly three inches of rain between Friday and Monday. About 10% of the region will see rainfall amounts of four to six inches.

“Never drive into water of unknown depth,” the weather service said. “Be sure to use extra caution at low water crossings and in areas of poor drainage like construction zones.”

On and off storm chances will continue through Wednesday, the weather service said. Storms will be possible each afternoon, but with a low threat for strong to severe storms.

The latest forecast from KXAS-TV (NBC5):

SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy, very windy and warm with a 60% chance of showers and storms after 5 pm. Low: 70. High: 83.

SUNDAY: Partly to mostly cloudy, breezy and warm with a 70% chance of showers and storms, mainly in the morning. Low: 68. High: 80.

MONDAY: Partly cloudy and warm. Low: 67. High: 85.

TUESDAY: Partly cloudy and warm. Low: 67. High: 85.

WEDNESDAY: Partly cloudy and warm with a slight chance of storms. Low: 68. High: 83.

THURSDAY: A mix of clouds and sun with a 20% chance of storms. Low: 68. High: 83.

Staff writer Aria Jones contributed to this report.

CORRECTION, 4:40 p.m., April 26, 2024: An earlier version of this story misspelled McLennan County