Storms unleash tornadoes, hail and flooding across North Texas
Forecasters warned Saturday would be a rough day for severe weather in North Texas — and they were right.
A steady train of thunderstorms rolled across the region beginning early in the day and continuing into the dark.
Several tornadoes were spotted by radar and trained spotters as the storms moved from southwest to northeast, skirting Wichita Falls until late afternoon.
Just after 3 p.m., radar and a spotter confirmed a large tornado near Knox City. Witnesses reported wires down. Minutes later, a tornado was spotted near Rhineland in Knox County.
About 3:45 p.m., the weather service reported a tornado near Grayback in Wilbarger County. At 4 p.m., another large tornado was located near the small community of Red Springs in Baylor County.
Most of the confirmed tornadoes in North Texas stayed in open areas. No injuries or significant damage was reported by Sunday morning although reports from rural areas often trickle in slowly.
The weather service issued a bevy of tornado and thunderstorm warnings throughout the evening and night, including some for Wichita County.
As is often the case, the storms exacted a worse toll when they crossed into Oklahoma. Two people, including a child, were killed when a twister struck Holdenville in the east central part of the state.
Sulpher, in southeast Oklahoma, had extensive damage when a tornado hit there. Gov. Kevin Stitt declared states of emergency in 12 counties. Oklahoma City news stations reported at least 20 twisters touched down in the state.
Although North Texas was spared the worst of nature’s wrath, large hail pelted the region with reports of hailstones nearly two inches wide in Iowa Park. Flash flooding was reported in numerous areas.
Emergency crews in Wichita Falls stayed busy during the night helping stranded motorists.
The upside to the storms was copious rain. Wichita Falls officially got 3.65 inches, bringing the total so far in 2024 to 13.65 inches, almost double the 6.92 inches normal for this date in the year.
Some of the thunderstorms passed over the watershed of area lakes. The city of Wichita Falls will publish updated lake levels on Monday.
More: Tornadoes confirmed on the ground west of Wichita Falls
More: He wanted a New York loft. He got an old building in downtown Wichita Falls
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Storms unleash tornadoes, hail and flooding across North Texas
