Record Heat for the Intermountain West and Northern Plains; Heavy Rainfall and Severe Weather Threats

Record setting heat is expected over the next several days from the Intermountain West through the northern Plains. Furthermore, fire weather concerns increase with dry and breezy conditions. Meanwhile, heavy rainfall and severe thunderstorm threats for the Ohio/Tennessee Valleys, central Appalachians and Southeast today. The threat shifts to central Gulf Coast and across central Texas this week. Read More >

April 3rd 2012 Severe Weather Outbreak

Summary	Local Storm Reports Map	DFW Airport Hailstorm	Forney
Johnson County	Kennedale/Arlington	Lancaster/Dallas	Rockwall/Hunt County

Lancaster/Dallas Tornado

Meteorologists from the National Weather Service in Fort Worth have given portions of the damage in Lancaster a preliminary rating of EF-2, with estimated wind speeds up to 130 mph. The tornado had a path length of 7.1 miles and a maximum width of 200 yards. Additional information will be added to this page as it becomes available.

…Preliminary Findings from the Lancaster/Dallas Storm Surveys…

On Wednesday, April 4, 2012, a crew from the National Weather Service in Fort Worth surveyed the damaged areas in the Lancaster and Dallas areas in Dallas County.

The finding was that a tornado occured in Lancaster and continued into southern Dallas on April 3, 2012. The tornado has been given a rating of EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The maximum path width was 200 yards, with an estimated path length of 7.1 miles and estimated wind speeds of 130 mph.

The damage started east of the intersection of interstate 35E and Parkerville Road in Lancaster. There was intermittent damage throughout Lancaster as the tornado traveled several miles to the northeast. The most significant damage then occurred near the intersections of Wintergreen Road, Telephone Road and North Dallas Road. The damage path then continue to the north-northeast and crossed Interstate 20 where it caused significant damage to a trucking facility. The tornado continued a short distance to the north-northeast before lifting near the intersection of Bonnie View Road and Memory Lane in Dallas.

This photo was taken by our Ellis/Dallas survey team near the intersection of Telephone Road and North Dallas Ave in Lancaster TX. It shows large sections of the roof on a single family residence were removed.

This photo was taken by a NWS Storm Survey team on April 4, 2012. It shows EF-2 tornado damage that occurred on April 3, 2012.

This photo was taken near the intersection of Pleasant Run Road and Rogers Ave in Lancaster. This photo shows damage to one and two story single family residences. Note the significant loss of roof and roof covering material and failure of the chimney.

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Record Heat for the Intermountain West and Northern Plains; Heavy Rainfall and Severe Weather Threats

NWS Ft. Worth