At least 15 tornadoes were reported in west Texas Tuesday afternoon and evening. A powerful storm system moved through the southern plains bringing severe weather and flooding across multiple states.
Hail up to 2.50″ in diameter was reported near Seymour, TX. A wind gust of 95 mph was confirmed near El Reno, OK outside of Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma Mesonet confirms the 95.1 mph wind gust at the El Reno site at 9:05 pm. This is same site that had a 151 mph gust 5/24/11.
— NWS Norman (@NWSNorman) March 29, 2017
Storms raged into Wednesday morning. Around 8,000 customers near Oklahoma City woke up without power. Training thunderstorms brought flooding to the metro area. While this part of the country is in need of moisture, flash flood warnings during rush hour signals too much of a good thing.
I-235 at NW 36 St. is closed due to flooding #TurnAroundDontDrown pic.twitter.com/z6XljFGvKi
— KOKH FOX 25 (@OKCFOX) March 29, 2017
A bowing line of thunderstorms hit Dallas Fort Worth before the sun came up Wednesday. An 83 mph wind gust was recorded in Fort Worth, as tornado warnings were issued. A quarter of a million customers lost power during the storms.
Sheds at the Home Depot @ 377/North Tarrant took a tumble… pic.twitter.com/uU1RUo0C4k
— Keller Police Dept (@kellerpolice) March 29, 2017
The same low pressure system will remain strong as it pushes east Wednesday and Thursday. A powerful closed low aloft will energize and provide lift as a dry line at the surface kicks up afternoon storms. Sufficient shear, or change in winds with height, is present to organize the storms into rotating supercells.
For WeatherNation, Meteorologist Karissa Klos