Texas, 2001

Tornadoes and Heavy Rain in Texas, September 5, 2001

September 5, 2001 · NWS FWD · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

Showers and thunderstorms remained in North Texas, but became more scattered, as a slow moving upper level low pressure system began to exit the region. This upper low spawned three tornadoes in Dallas and Collin Counties which caused damage to structures.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$155,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS FWD wrote it up.

Showers and thunderstorms remained in North Texas, but became more scattered, as a slow moving upper level low pressure system began to exit the region. This upper low spawned three tornadoes in Dallas and Collin Counties which caused damage to structures.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Fort Worth, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 5, 3:15 AM CST, 1 hour 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 5, 3:15 AM CST, 1 hour 5 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
415 AM CDT WED SEP 5 2001

UPPER LOW INTERACTING WITH COPIOUS MOISTURE (PRECIP WATER IN EXCESS
OF 2 INCHES) WILL TRIGGER WIDESPREAD RAINFALL THROUGH TODAY. HAVE
EXPANDED A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE ENTIRE AREA WHERE THRESHOLD FOR
WATER RETENTION HAS DEMISED WITH TUESDAYS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL EVENT.
WET WEATHER PATTERN TO CONTINUE INTO THE EXTENDED AS A POTENT
DIFFLUENT UPPER LOW ARRIVES OVER THE WEEKEND. AN INCREASING LOW
LEVEL WARM ADVECTION PATTERN WITH A STRENGTHENING FETCH OF WARM GULF
MOISTURE WILL AID LIFT AS THE SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH.

FCSTID = 48
DFW   84  71  85  74 /  70  50  40  30
ACT   85  72  87  74 /  70  50  40  30

.FWD...FLASH FLOOD WATCH TODAY AREAWIDE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Sep 5, 4:05 AM CST, 15 minutes before
TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-051700-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTH TEXAS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
505 AM CDT WED SEP 5 2001

...FLASH FLOODING...
WIDESPREAD RAINFALL ON NEARLY SATURATED SOILS WILL RESULT IN AREAS
OF WATER RUNOFF WHERE HEAVY RAINFALL OCCURS TODAY. A FLASH FLOOD
WATCH IS IN EFFECT TODAY FOR ALL OF NORTH TEXAS.

...THUNDERSTORMS...
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING STRIKES
AND A FEW AREAS WITH PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL. OUTFLOW FROM THE
STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE BRIEF SURFACE WIND GUSTS UP TO
40 MPH.

48

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 tornado, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Milam

When
September 5, 4:20 AM CST
Where
Milam County, Rockdale
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
30.786, -96.977 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Streets in town were closed due to high water.

Tornado, Dallas

When
September 5, 1:25 PM CST to 1:29 PM CST
Where
Dallas County, Carrollton
Rating
F1
Path length
1.5 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$125,000
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
32.950, -96.900

The initial touchdown was at the intersection of McCoy and Evergreen roads. The tornado moved north-northwest for 1.5 miles then dissipating just north of Frankford Road and east of Old Denton Road. Roof damage occurred at theMcCoy Elementary School, to a church, and 23 homes.

Tornado, Collin

When
September 5, 2:05 PM CST
Where
Collin County, 1 mi E of Frisco
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Reported by
FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates
33.150, -96.817

Fire department personnel observed a brief tornado touchdown in an open filed just east of Frisco.

Tornado, Collin

When
September 5, 2:30 PM CST
Where
Collin County, Celina
Rating
F1
Path length
3 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$30,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
33.317, -96.783

The tornado first touched down just north of Prosper and moved due north before dissipating near Celina. Seven homes with roof damage, one home with windows blown out, a storage shed and a greenhouse was destroyed.

What these are

Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Texas in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 2001Warnings in Texas, September 2001

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5270438, 5270437, 5270439, 5270440.