A large MCS rolled through north Texas during the morning hours with most of the severe weather occurring south of Interstate 20. Strong east winds up to 50 mph occurred on the back edge of the precipitation shield resulting in additional wind damage.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS FWD wrote it up.
A large MCS rolled through north Texas during the morning hours with most of the severe weather occurring south of Interstate 20. Strong east winds up to 50 mph occurred on the back edge of the precipitation shield resulting in additional wind damage.
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 Apr 17, 5:00 AM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 600 AM CDT FRI APR 17 2009 .UPDATE... HAVE CLEARED REMAINDER OF WW #158 FROM WESTERN ZONES. SOME STRONG STORMS WILL STILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE SOUTHWEST THIS MORNING...WITH LARGE HAIL THE MAIN THREAT AT THIS TIME. && .AVIATION... AVIATION FORECAST THE NEXT 24-36 HRS LARGELY HINGES ON TIMING OF CONVECTION. CURRENT WAVE OF TSRA WILL CONTINUE MOVING EAST THE NEXT FEW HOURS. SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON...FOLLOWED BY A BRIEF RESPITE BEFORE MORE CONVECTION FORMS AHEAD OF AND ALONG A DRYLINE/PACIFIC FRONT EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. CIGS WILL HOVER IN THE MVFR CATEGORY WITH SPELLS OF IFR ASSOCIATED WITH THE RAINFALL. WINDS WILL REMAIN SOUTHEAST AOB 12 KTS. SH/13 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 322 AM CDT FRI APR 17 2009/ MODELS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE WITH CONVECTIVE TRENDS FOR THE NEXT 24 TO 48 HOURS AND A PROLONGED RAIN EVENT IS POSSIBLE OVER THE EASTERN AND SOUTHEASTERN ZONES. WILL NOT CONSIDER A FLOOD WATCH AT THIS TIME UNTIL A BETTER IDEA OF CONVECTIVE MODE AND TRENDS CAN BE AGREED UPON. LARGE CLUSTER OF RAIN AND ELEVATED STORMS IS CURRENTLY MOVING INTO THE WESTERN COUNTIES WITH WARM AIR ADVECTION ACTIVITY DEVELOPING ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE REGION. STRONGEST STORMS ARE LOCATED ACROSS THE SOUTHERN END OF THIS LINE...PROPAGATING EAST AND SOUTHEAST. BEST INSTABILITY LIES ACROSS SOUTH AND CENTRAL TEXAS BUT IS ACCOMPANIED BY A STRONG CAP. THIS CLUSTER OF PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS NORTH TEXAS THIS MORNING WITH AN ISOLATED SEVERE THREAT ACROSS THE SOUTHWESTERN COUNTIES FOR ELEVATED STORMS PRODUCING HAIL. WARM AIR ADVECTION ACTIVITY WILL ALSO CONTINUE THIS MORNING. MODELS ARE INDICATING THAT STORMS WILL REFIRE THIS AFTERNOON ALONG THE DRYLINE AS IT MOVES OUT OF WEST TEXAS. BY THIS TIME...THE UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL BE MOVING INTO THE PANHANDLE AND JET STREAK WILL BE ROUNDING THE BASE INTO WEST AND CENTRAL TEXAS. THE ATMOSPHERE ACROSS NORTHWEST TEXAS AND OUR WESTERN COUNTIES WILL DESTABILIZE AS CLOUDS BREAK UP ALONG THE DRYLINE AND UP TO 1500 J/KG SURFACE BASED CAPE WITH LITTLE TO NO CAP IS FORECAST FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN THAT SAME AREA. DEEP LAYER SHEAR VALUES OF 60 PLUS KNOTS AND STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES WOULD SUPPORT SUPERCELLS WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR LARGE HAIL AND POSSIBLY ISOLATED TORNADOES. SOME OF THESE STORMS COULD AFFECT THE WESTERN COUNTIES THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AND THEN WILL LIKELY FORM ANOTHER LINE OF STORMS THAT WILL AFFECT NORTH TEXAS TONIGHT. AGAIN...THE SURFACE INSTABILITY WILL BE LACKING ACROSS THE REST OF NORTH TEXAS SO A HAIL THREAT IS EXPECTED OVERNIGHT. AS ENERGY FROM THE UPPER LEVEL LOW CONTINUES TO MOVE ACROSS THE STATE ON SATURDAY AND DIFFLUENCE ALOFT MATERIALIZES...RAIN IS LIKELY TO CONTINUE ON SATURDAY WITH THE BEST CHANCE FOR RAIN ACROSS THE EASTERN AND SOUTHEASTERN ZONES. SOUTHERLY WINDS IN THE BOUNDARY LAYER WILL KEEP PWATS AT 1 TO 2 INCHES WITH RICH MOISTURE IN PLACE ACROSS THE EAST AND SOUTHEAST. SOME SEVERE WEATHER IS POSSIBLE ACROSS MAINLY THE SOUTHEASTERN ZONES. SURFACE BASED INSTABILITY WILL BE MUCH BETTER WITH UP TO 2000 J/KG CAPE AND AROUND 40 KNOTS OF SHEAR. IN ADDITION...THE DRYLINE WILL MOVE INTO NORTH TEXAS ON SATURDAY. THE ATMOSPHERE WILL LIKELY BE TOO OVERWORKED FROM EARLIER CONVECTION...BUT IF DESTABILIZATION CAN OCCUR /CLOUDS CLEAR OUT/ ALONG THE DRYLINE...ANY STORM THAT CAN FIRE ALONG THE DRYLINE WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE SEVERE AS WELL. RAIN CHANCES WILL COME TO AN SATURDAY NIGHT AS THE COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH. QUIET WEATHER WILL CONTROL NORTH TEXAS NEXT WEEK AS UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS IN AND TEMPERATURES STEADILY WARM...REACHING VALUES IN THE 80S BY TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. 82/JLD && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX 72 58 79 54 73 / 80 60 40 20 5 WACO, TX 74 63 77 53 76 / 80 60 50 20 5 PARIS, TX 70 60 73 55 70 / 70 70 50 20 10 DENTON, TX 73 57 79 52 72 / 80 60 30 20 5 MCKINNEY, TX 73 56 78 50 72 / 80 70 40 20 10 DALLAS, TX 73 59 78 54 73 / 80 70 40 20 5 TERRELL, TX 74 61 76 55 72 / 70 70 50 20 5 CORSICANA, TX 73 63 75 55 74 / 70 70 50 20 5 TEMPLE, TX 75 61 75 55 77 / 80 60 60 30 5 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 13/82
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 431 AM CDT FRI APR 17 2009 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-181100- MONTAGUE-COOKE-GRAYSON-FANNIN-LAMAR-YOUNG-JACK-WISE-DENTON-COLLIN- HUNT-DELTA-HOPKINS-STEPHENS-PALO PINTO-PARKER-TARRANT-DALLAS- ROCKWALL-KAUFMAN-VAN ZANDT-RAINS-EASTLAND-ERATH-HOOD-SOMERVELL- JOHNSON-ELLIS-HENDERSON-COMANCHE-MILLS-HAMILTON-BOSQUE-HILL-NAVARRO- FREESTONE-ANDERSON-LAMPASAS-CORYELL-BELL-MCLENNAN-FALLS-LIMESTONE- LEON-MILAM-ROBERTSON- 431 AM CDT FRI APR 17 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. A COMPLEX OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH NORTH TEXAS THIS MORNING. LARGE HAIL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING WILL BE POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE TO POSE A THREAT...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF I-20. STORMS MAY REDEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON WEST OF I-35 AND SPREAD EAST. LARGE HAIL AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL ARE THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE MAINLY EAST OF I-35 AND SOUTH OF I-20 ON SATURDAY. DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL ARE THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREATS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... LIMITED SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED. 13
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
646 AM CDT FRI APR 17 2009
TXZ143-171215-
HAMILTON TX-
646 AM CDT FRI APR 17 2009
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR...
HAMILTON COUNTY
AT 646 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF HAMILTON...MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 15 MPH.
CITIES IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE HAMILTON.
PEA-SIZED HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH MAY OCCUR WITH THIS STORM.
LAT...LON 3184 9818 3184 9816 3185 9816 3187 9815
3176 9789 3150 9811 3163 9837
TIME...MOT...LOC 1146Z 211DEG 12KT 3160 9820
82/JLDSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
716 AM CDT FRI APR 17 2009
TXZ143-144-171245-
BOSQUE TX-HAMILTON TX-
716 AM CDT FRI APR 17 2009
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR...
WESTERN BOSQUE COUNTY
EASTERN HAMILTON COUNTY
AT 716 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 11 MILES NORTHEAST OF HAMILTON...MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 35 MPH.
CITIES IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE CRANFILLS GAP...HAMILTON...
IREDELL AND MERIDIAN STATE PARK.
FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...AND
PEA-SIZED HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED FROM THIS STORM.
IF THIS STORM INTENSIFIES...A SEVERE WEATHER WARNING MAY BE NEEDED.
LAT...LON 3202 9800 3212 9783 3212 9781 3202 9757
3160 9791 3156 9801 3169 9818
TIME...MOT...LOC 1216Z 205DEG 29KT 3180 9796
82/JLDThe Dallas/Ft Worth radar (KFWS), 95 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:28 UTC.
7 strong wind, 4 hail, 2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck a two-story house between Clifton and Valley Mills. Insulation in the walls caught on fire and was the only damage reported to the home.
Power lines, power poles, and trees were reported down in Breckenridge. The nearest AWOS reported a peak wind gust of 56 mph.
Nickel size hail fell 2 miles northeast of Whitney.
Nickel size hail covered the ground in the western portions of Copperas Cove.
Lightning struck a roof-top air conditioning unit on the Parsons Building at C.R. Clements/Hollie Parsons Elementary School. Only the A/C unit was damaged.
Nickel size hail fell in Morgan's Point Resort.
Nickel size hail fell in Lorena.
Large tree limbs were blown down on Cedar Street in Glen Rose from strong east winds behind a departing MCS.
A trained spotter in Rowlett reported trees and power lines down. KDAL measured a 48 mph wind gust in association with strong winds on the back edge of the precipitation shield of the MCS. A combination of the winds and lightning knocked out power to approximately 25,000 customers.
Power lines and power poles were blown down across the county resulting in thousands of power outages. In Denison, part of the metal roof of Nick's Restaurant on Austin Avenue was lifted off. One minor injury was reported. In Sherman, a tree fell on a house that had to be cut off, and a house fire was started by a tree that fell on a power line. Additional power pole and tree damage was also reported in Whitesboro. The damage was caused by strong east winds behind a departing MCS.
Two large trees approximately 5 feet in diameter were blown down in Terrell. The damage was caused by strong east winds behind a departing MCS.
Three to four foot trees are down in Fairfield and a gas station sustained minor damage. Power lines were also down around the county. The damage was caused by strong east winds behind a departing MCS.
Power lines, power poles, and numerous tree limbs were down in Bonham and around the county. The damage was caused by strong east winds behind a departing MCS.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 2009
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: 164968, 165891, 164771, 164770, 164973, 164772, 164773, 164972, 164892, 164893, 164894, 164895, 164896.