Power Outage in Fort Worth, TX

Severe to exceptional drought conditions affected the county through the end of the month. Several grass fires broke out around July 4th from fireworks igniting the dry grasses. The City of Fort Worth fireworks show resulted in several small grass fires and a cancellation of the show after it had started. On July 26th, a kitchen fire at a home in the 5500 block of Jessica Lane in Rendon spread to surrounding houses because of the dry fuel conditions, destroying 3 homes and damaging several other houses plus power lines and propane tanks.

Extreme cold gripped the county for several days. Overnight lows were near or below 20 degrees Fahrenheit almost all week. The period of February 15-16th was the coldest with low temperatures between 3 to -2 degrees Fahrenheit, and the maximum temperature on the 15th was only in the mid teens. Wind chill values during the 14th-16th were between 0 to -20 degrees Fahrenheit most of the time. The cold temperatures resulted in an extreme amount of damage to pipes, infrastructure, and power. The medical examiner confirmed 3 fatalities in the county due to hypothermia or carbon monoxide poising from a generator. Other cases are still pending.

Downed power poles were reported near Saginaw Boulevard and Boaz.

Emergency management reported damage to trees, power lines and roofs in the city of Everman, TX.

This tornado initially formed near the Villages of Eagle Mountain subdivision, damaging one home where some of the bricks on the front part of the house fell off. The tornado continued on a track to the east-northeast between W Bailey Boswell Rd and WJ Boaz Rd. In this neighborhood, a couple of trees were snapped, consistent with 80 mph EF-0 winds, but most of the damage found was broken tree branches. The tornado then moved over N Saginaw Blvd (US 287/81) damaging several business signs and bending power poles. It continued to move east-northeast, dissipating between E Bailey Boswell Road and Darlington Trail, where no more damage was found. Maximum winds with the tornado were estimated at 80 mph.

This tornado initially formed near the Villages of Eagle Mountain subdivision, damaging one home where some of the bricks on the front part of the house fell off. The tornado continued on a track to the east-northeast between W Bailey Boswell Rd and WJ Boaz Rd. In this neighborhood, a couple of trees were snapped, consistent with 80 mph EF-0 winds, but most of the damage found was broken tree branches. The tornado then moved over N Saginaw Blvd (US 287/81) damaging several business signs and bending power poles. It continued to move east-northeast, dissipating between E Bailey Boswell Road and Darlington Trail, where no more damage was found. Maximum winds with the tornado were estimated at 80 mph.

Amateur radio reported power poles down and a trailer damaged in the city of Saginaw, TX.

A NWS employee reported 2 power poles snapped and one street lamp snapped along Davis Blvd between Harwood Dr and Emerald Hills Way.

Several reports were received indicating power lines and power poles down, fences down and trees down across Tarrant County.

Emergency management reported a large tree blown down on a house in the Overton Park area of Fort Worth, TX. Trees were also blown onto power lines in the same area.

Power lines blown down. The power lines remained active Wednesday, resulting in the electrocution of 2 brothers playing in the area.

Social media reports of freezing rain near 0.05 inch were received. The ice accumulated on power lines and trees, which led to approximately 18,000 customers without power in southwest Tarrant County.

Fire and rescue reported power poles down near the intersection of Camp Bowie and 7th street.

An average of 2-3 of ice and sleet accumulated in Tarrant County. Most of the accumulations were due to sleet and the heaviest amounts fell in the northwestern portions of the county. Up to 0.50 of freezing rain/ice occurred. 2.5 of sleet was reported in Hurst, 2 of ice and sleet was reported in Keller, 2 of sleet was reported in Haslet, 2 was reported in North Richland Hills, and 2.25 of sleet was reported in the Benbrook area. 2 of sleet and ice was reported at the NWS Office in north Fort Worth. The I-20/I-30 split in west Fort Worth was especially treacherous to travel through due to cobblestone ice and so was I-35W north of North Tarrant Parkway. Numerous traffic accidents occurred on the icy streets. Fort Worth police reported nearly 40 major accidents and several smaller ones. A 7-car accident occurred on I-20 at Forest Hill around 9 pm on the 5th, and a 15-car wreck occurred on TX 121 in Grapevine. Only 3 people sustained minor injures in both of those accidents, but a male died in a separate accident on I-20 in Arlington. Hundreds of ice related falls were reported by area hospitals. Several power lines also snapped due to the weight of the ice and more than 200,000 customers were without power on the 6th. Several thousand people were stranded at DFW Airport throughout the weekend. The clean-up from the ice storm took several weeks. Hundreds of tree branches broke due to the weight of the ice. An elderly man died from hypothermia in Fort Worth.

Several reports came in through social media, reporting 0.05 inch of freezing rain in southwest Tarrant County. Approximately 18,000 customers lost power for a brief period of time.

A wind gust of 67 MPH was measured at the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base (KNFW). Large tree limbs and at least one power pole was knocked down.

A 100-foot amateur radio tower off Peden Rd along the east shore of Eagle Mountain Lake was knocked down by severe thunderstorm winds. Severe thunderstorm winds also damaged the metal roof covering boats parked in the Lakeview Marina. The metal awning was partially peeled off. Power lines and trees were also knocked down.

An EF-2 tornado began in Kennedale, and then moved north-northeast into Arlington. In its occlusion phase, the tornado curved back to the northwest; ending its track near the east shores of Lake Arlington along Waterview Drive. The path length of the tornado was 6.4 miles long with a width of approximately 150 yards. Damage from the tornado began near the Texas Raceway. Five manufactured homes were heavily damaged or destroyed near the racing strip. Moving to the north-northeast, the tornado produced sporadic damage to trees, power poles, and a storage facility as the storm organized rapidly. Part of the roof of a warehouse at a business on Tower Drive near Business 287 was torn off and tossed onto a city water tower nearby. The warehouse was also damaged by debris tossed by the tornado. Other businesses near this intersection were also damaged. Damage to residences began north of Sublett Rd. EF-2 damage was noted to a few homes between Sublett Rd and Hwy 287, but most areas received EF-0 or EF-1 damage. Approximately 143 homes and apartments sustained some type of damage in this area. Most of the homes appeared to have the initial failure at or near the garage, with subsequent damage coming to exterior walls or portions of roofs. Before the tornado crossed Hwy 287, it damaged the roofs of two buildings at the Chesterfield Apartments. Once the tornado crossed Hwy 287, it cut a path to the north-northeast causing mostly minor roof and fence damage to approximately 25-30 homes between Hwy 287 and Interstate 20. The tornado crossed Interstate 20 between Kelly Elliott Rd and Green Oaks Blvd. First the tornado damaged a church on the north side of the interstate, then the tornado went on to do significant damage in the Oldfield neighborhood just north of Interstate 20 near Martin High School. Approximately 100 homes were damaged in this neighborhood with an additional 85 damaged in the surrounding areas. Several homes experienced significant damage to garages and progressive failure of garage walls and portions of roofs. A few residences in this neighborhood along Haverford Dr and Thorncliffe Dr sustained EF-2 damage. Large trees were also uprooted in the neighborhood. The damage path continued to the north from this area with several other homes and trees sustaining damage near Little Road. Just west of Martin High School, the tornado began to occlude and turn northwest. At this point, near Green Oaks Boulevard and Chaperito Street, a nursing home suffered significant roof and outside wall damage, with the initial failure occurring near a large window. Nearly all of the residential damage in Kennedale and Arlington was EF-0 or EF-1. Only a small portion of the damage path suffered EF-2 damage. A total of 5 homes in Kennedale and 13 homes in Arlington were determined to be destroyed. Another 44 homes sustained major damage and 247 sustained minor damage. An additional 273 residences were affected by the storms on this day. Maximum estimated winds with the tornado were 135 mph. Eight people sustained injuries from the tornado, but only one of those injured was considered severe.

A grass fire that started in the 11000 block of East Dawn Drive in far north Fort Worth, spread quickly and consumed 5 mobile homes. At least one shed and a car were also engulfed in the flames. Power poles also caught fire causing the power lines to fall. One firefighter suffered first degree burns on his hands and another was treated for heat exhaustion.

A 70 mph wind gust was measured at the Joint Reserve Base in Fort Worth (KNFW). This gust was associated with a heatburst. In nearby River Oaks, power lines were blown down.

Seventy to seventy-five MPH winds were estimated along and just north of Loop 820 from Highway 377/Denton Highway to near Holiday Lane. These strong winds damaged several business signs and the roof of a commercial building at Loop 820 and Rufe Snow Drive. Several large trees and power poles were also knocked down along Rufe Snow Drive north of Loop 820. In the neighborhood around Richland Hills High School, many large tree limbs were broken, a few power poles were leaning about 20 degrees, and some trees were either split or knocked down. One tree fell on a house and damaged the roof.

Seventy to seventy-five MPH winds were estimated along and just north of Loop 820 from Highway 377/Denton Highway to near Holiday Lane. These strong winds damaged several business signs and the roof of a commercial building at Loop 820 and Rufe Snow Drive. Several large trees and power poles were also knocked down along Rufe Snow Drive north of Loop 820. In the neighborhood around Richland Hills High School, many large tree limbs were broken, a few power poles were leaning about 20 degrees, and some trees were either split or knocked down. One tree fell on a house and damaged the roof.

An elderly woman on oxygen died during a power outage that was caused by a tree that had blown into the power lines down the street. The woman lived in the west side of Fort Worth. Area automated weather stations recorded wind gusts up to 40 mph on this day.

Two boys were shocked by a downed power line near Kris Street and Jerrell Street in North Richland Hills. Both boys were transported to area hospitals.

Shingles were blown off of a roof at the intersection of Old Decatur Rd and Longhorn Dr. Tree limbs were also blown into power lines and caused power outages. A police officer directing traffic because of the power outage was struck by a vehicle and was taken to the hospital.

Power lines were knocked down near the southeast corner of Eagle Mountain Lake.

A large tree approximately two feet in diameter was knocked down in on 6th street in Downtown Fort Worth. The local ASOS reported a peak wind gust of 49 mph. Over 11,000 customers lost power in the metroplex due to downed power lines and trees in power lines. American Airlines canceled a quarter of its afternoon flights out of DFW airport and several more flights out of the airport were delayed several hours. Some shingle damage and fence damage was also reported.

There were almost 600 wrecks in Fort Worth due to icy conditions with 207 of them occurring in one 90 minute period. Most of the accidents occurred on Highway 287 and Interstate 35. Several crashes on I-30 forced its closure near the Parker County line. In Arlington, 50 accidents were reported. One man was killed (indirect) after his car left Loop 820 and struck a tree. Power was knocked out to about 400 customers. An NWS employee reported 0.25 inches of sleet accumulation along with 0.20 inches of ice from freezing rain. About 185 flights were canceled at DFW Airport.

Icy tree limbs fell on power lines, causing about 48,000 residents and businesses to experience power outages across the metroplex.

Power lines and poles were blown down.

Several businesses and residences sustained damage to roofing and siding. Numerous power poles, lines, and trees were blown down. Signs were also damaged. Insurance agents estimated the damage to be over $500,000.

Numerous trees and power lines downed. Power outages occurred at about 300,000 homes and businesses in the metroplex. Two construction trailers were overturned in Mansfield, and a flagpole at a model home was bent at a 45-degree angle. One roof was ripped off a commercial business. There were numerous reports of fences and minor roof damage.

Trees and power lines were blown down.

This tornado touched down near Sylvania Park, just southwest of the intersection of Beach and Belknap Streets. Severe damage occurred on Wheeler Street from North Beach to Haltom Road, and along Elliott Reeder Road from Haltom Road east approximately a half mile. A fatality also occurred in this area. Substantial roof damage was done to a grocery store, several homes, and a church. Another church suffered steeple damage. Several commercial buildings along Elliott Reeder Road were damaged and numerous recreational vehicles and tractor-trailers were damaged or destroyed. Trees and power lines were also downed. Near the intersection of Riverbend and Jack Newell Roads, a commercial building suffered partial collapse of an east-facing wall. Intermittent damage to trees, fences, and at least one home occurred in the River Trails subdivision, west of the tornado track. The tornado dissipated just west of Precinct Line Road. Winds speeds were estimated at 100-110 MPH. Haltom City and Fort Worth officials estimated about two million dollars in property losses within the two cities.

Trees and power lines were blown down.

Hundreds of power lines, trees, and other structures were blown down by high winds, which were between 20 to 30 MPH sustained and gusted between 50 and 60 MPH for hours. In addition, signs and fences were blown down and shingles were blown off roofs. About 40,000 businesses and residents in the county were without power by mid-afternoon. Other wind damage occurred at a still-under-construction indoor practice facility at Texas Christian University. Two high school track students were injured when a first-aid table became airborne at a meet and hit them.|Fires were also a problem, as the winds sparked electrical equipment and arcing power lines fell onto structures and grass. Small grassfires became large blazes due to the winds.|Visibilities dropped as low as one mile at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport as a cloud of dust overspread the region. The dust cloud was clearly visible by satellite and was estimated to be 400 miles long, 70 miles wide, and about 18,000 feet high. Operations were suspended at area airports due to the strength of the wind.

Dozens of accidents were reported over the weekend due to icy roadways. The eastbound and westbound lanes of Interstate 20 near its intersection with Highway 287 were closed due to a large accident resulting from the ice. About 400 flights were cancelled from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport over the weekend, stranding travelers. Around 3,500 residents in the county were without power as power lines were downed by falling branches and trees laden with ice.

A billboard was blown down onto power lines near the intersection of Interstate 35 and Interstate 20 in south Fort Worth.

A mixture of freezing rain, snow, and sleet fell across the metroplex, causing 2,700 power outages across the area. Hundreds of accidents were reported as well, with several hundred flights cancelled at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

Power was knocked out to at least 17,000 households Wednesday morning in the Dallas/Fort Worth area as sustained strong winds knocked over power poles and transformers. Large trees and limbs were knocked down throughout the county. Fences, signs, trampolines, and other outdoor items were blown around as well. Additionally, 160 flights were cancelled at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. A large tree branch fell on a woman and a car with two children inside. The woman was listed in serious condition at the hospital; the children were not injured.

A few power lines were knocked down.

Lightning struck a transformer, knocking out power to Eastern Hills High School in Fort Worth.

Winds associated with evaporation along the edges of dissipating thunderstorms caused widespread damage across the county. Roofs were blown off businesses and homes. A small Cessna was flipped over and two larger jets (a 737 and a DC-9) were damaged when they were pushed into each other at Meacham Airport. Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down as well. Power was knocked out to over 30,000 people in the area. Transformers and radio towers were also knocked down. A 70-foot tall cottonwood tree crashed into a bedroom roof in Arlington.

A fast moving cold front brought strong northwest winds and blowing dust to north Texas Friday afternoon. Visibilities dropped to 3 miles in some locations due to the blowing dust. Measured wind gusts reached 51 MPH at Meacham Airport in Fort Worth and at Addison Airport in north Dallas. Several thousand people lost power. Minor damage was reported around the area, with several windows blown out of downtown Dallas skyscrapers. Downed trees and power lines were also reported.

Two large trees broken in half. Numerous other trees, power lines, and transformers were knocked down or damaged.

Wind gust to 63 mph at the Arlington Airport at 916 pm cdt. There was widespread tree and power line damage across south Arlington. Some areas had no power for 5 days.

Power lines were blown down by high winds.

Power lines down just west of Saginaw.

A large tree was blown down on the corner of West Bolt and Baldwin streets. Power lines were blown down in east Fort Worth and just west of the downtown area.

A mixture of freezing rain and sleet was icing bridges, overpasses and highways on the west side of Fort Worth. By early afternoon, there were reports of numerous power lines down across west and northern sections of Tarrant county, and some power outages.

A grass fire that started in the 11000 block of East Dawn Drive in far north Fort Worth, spread quickly and consumed 5 mobile homes. At least one shed and a car were also engulfed in the flames. Power poles also caught fire causing the power lines to fall. One firefighter suffered first degree burns on his hands and another was treated for heat exhaustion. Very hot and dry conditions this month resulted in elevated fire danger.

An elderly woman in Fort Worth died due to a power outage at her home that left her unable to receive the oxygen she needed to survive. The power outage occurred from a tree that was blown into the power line down the street by strong wind gusts up to 40 mph.

A strong low pressure system moving across Oklahoma resulted in strong west and northwest winds across north Texas. Sustained winds of 20 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph were common across the region. Scattered tree damage was reported across north Texas, thousands of power outages were caused by downed power lines and trees in power lines, and hundreds of airplanes were grounded or delayed at DFW Airport. Approximately 11,600 customers in north Texas were left without power.