NWS Possible tornado producing weather as seen in Tarrant County, Texas.
A tornado warning was temporarily issued for parts of Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties and other areas of Texas during a portion of the afternoon on May 29, 2019. However, some of the tornado warnings, such as ones in Fort Worth, northern Denton County, and Dallas, expired and/or turned into severe thunderstorm alerts. Photos and videos captured the disturbing weather system.
The area was not out of the woods yet, though.
Violent weather spawning tornadoes continued to threaten communities located less than an hour from Dallas. In the early evening hours, Kemp, Mabank, Whitton, Canton, and Gun Barrel City were the focus of attention. “4:55pm – Tornado on the ground once again in Van Zandt county. Debris is visible. Approaching Whitton. Everybody in the path of this storm needs to seek shelter now!” wrote the National Weather Service at 5 p.m.
Then, all eyes turned to Canton, which is located about 75 miles from Dallas.
“5:00pm – Multi-vortex tornado is once again reported by spotters, near road 3227 just southwest of Canton. This storm will continue moving to the northeast. Everybody in the path needs to take shelter now, including the City of Canton!” Unfortunately, the tornado is believed to have touched down in Canton, causing damage. You can see photos from and learn more about that community here.
You can see updated radar for the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area here. Follow the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office on Twitter here.
By 2:36 p.m., NWS had earlier said, all tornado warnings in north and central Texas were over.
However, a short distance away in Henderson County, just before 5 p.m., injuries were reported in Gun Barrel City. “4:25pm – Tornado on the ground south of Kemp. TAKE SHELTER NOW!” the National Weather Service said of the community in Kaufman County, Texas, about 46 minutes from Dallas. The storm was moving to the northeast.
“A multiple-vortex tornado still being reported on the ground by spotters west/northwest of Mabank, crossing 175. THOSE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO NEED TO SEEK SHELTER NOW!” wrote NWS. Mabank is also located within an hour of Dallas. “450pm- Van Zandt county storm spotters are reporting a funnel cloud in the western portion of the county. Storm is moving northeast.”
That came after this report earlier in the afternoon:
“2:36pm – There are currently NO tornado warnings across North or Central Texas. Be prepared to take action in case a Tornado Warning is issued this afternoon,” the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office wrote. DFW airport’s ramps were back open after being closed “for the safety of the airline and ramp teams due to weather warnings.”
✈️ Airport ramps are now open. With storms expected throughout the afternoon, flight times may change. Please check with your airline for the latest information.
A tornado was spotted on the ground in Kemp.
Confirmed tornado on the ground just SE of Kemp. Safe rooms now, Tolosa Prairieville and Roddy in line for this cell..
There were reports of injuries in Gun Barrel City, a community in Henderson County, Texas located about 55 miles from Dallas.
Steve Hood with Kaufman county EMS says there are injuries, possibly from a Tornado that passed on the north side of Cedar Creek Country club.
Photo of tornado near Gun Barrel city courtesy Pamela Maynard
However, despite the expired tornado warnings, severe weather and tornadoes remained possible.
The NWS released a new slew of alerts for Texas: “Tornado Warning including Canton TX, Grand Saline TX, Edgewood TX until 3:45 PM CDT. Tornado Warning including Rockwall TX, Royse City TX, Fate TX until 3:45 PM CDT. Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Paris TX, Reno TX, Blossom TX until 4:00 PM CDT.”
Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Dallas TX, Fort Worth TX, Arlington TX until 3:00 PM CDT
The weather system is very dangerous, and people should stay alert. The tornado scares in Texas come on the heels of tornadoes that devastated multiple states, ranging from Ohio to Kansas.
Possible tornado! Fort Worth,TX #dfwwx
The tornado warnings initially spanned parts of Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties. “Southern Denton, northeastern Tarrant and northwestern Dallas counties under Tornado Warning until 2:30 p.m.,” wrote CBS 19.
At 2:07 p.m., the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office wrote, “2:07pm – Rotation is increasing as the storm approaches Flower Mound. Seek shelter if you are in the path!”
There have been no confimed tornadoes this afternoon. But a TORNADO WARNING continues until 2:30 in SE Denton Co. The NWS has dropped Tarrant & Dallas from the warning.
Live radar and complete forecasts at:
t.co/OuB5hYmq3f
#dfwwx #NBCDFWWeather
The tornado warnings expired for some areas. At 2:15 p.m., NWS wrote: “This Tornado Warning has been allowed to expire. There is no longer a tornado threat associated with this storm in northern Denton County. #dfwwx #txwx.” That comment referred to a previous alert that announced a tornado warning for “Denton TX, Sanger TX, Providence TX.” Plano Emergency Management wrote, “Important NWS update – 2:15pm – This Tornado Warning has been allowed to expire. There is no longer a tornado threat associated with this storm in northern Denton County.”
The Tornado Warning for TWU Denton has expired. You may resume normal activities. Continue to monitor the weather as conditions can rapidly change.
However, the NWS also wrote, “Tornado Warning including Lewisville TX, Flower Mound TX, Grapevine TX until 2:30 PM CDT” and added, “2:02pm – Thunderstorm is still capable of producing a tornado. Continue to take shelter if you are in the path of this storm.”
Possible rotation KELLER storm.
This is how the radar looked:
KFWS – Super-Res Velocity Tilt 1 2:12 PM CDT #txwx TORNADO WARNING DENTON COUNTY TX SECONDARY ROTATION DEVELOPMENT N OF SOUTHLAKE
“1:09pm – Tornado threat continues across the warned area. There have been reports of funnels as well as golf ball size hail. Seek shelter immediately! #dfwwx #txwx,” wrote the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth Office on Twitter.
“Confirmed tornado just northwest of Denton and approaching I-35 and Ganzer Road West. Take shelter,” wrote CBS 19.
There were a series of tornado warnings throughout the afternoon but they dissipated to severe thunderstorm warnings for some areas. “Severe thunderstorms are possible across all of North and Central Texas today with the best chances generally north of the I-20 corridor,” the National Weather Service’s May 29, 2019 hazardous weather outlook for Dallas and Fort Worth areas read. “The hazards associated with these storms include large hail, damaging winds and some tornadoes. Heavy rainfall and flash flooding will also be possible, especially north of I-20.”
“Tornado Warning including Fort Worth TX, Arlington TX, North Richland Hills TX until 1:45 PM CDT,” wrote the NWS. The site added, “Tornado Warning including Denton TX, Sanger TX, Providence TX until 2:15 PM CDT. Tornado Warning including Lewisville TX, Flower Mound TX, Grapevine TX until 2:30 PM CDT. Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Dallas TX, Fort Worth TX, Arlington TX until 3:00 PM CDT.” As noted, the Denton, Sanger and Providence alert then expired.
A man wrote on Twitter, “I just drove through what I believe was the outer edge of a tornado. Blew the car in front of me off the road and an 18 wheelers over a few cars behind me. Just south of Denton on 35W. Super intense.”