Scattered thunderstorms developed along a cold front and two storms became severe in Eastland and Johnson County. Lightning also claimed the life of a 19 year old female in Tarrant County.
Every event with a place to put it. 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.
Scattered thunderstorms developed along a cold front and two storms became severe in Eastland and Johnson County. Lightning also claimed the life of a 19 year old female in Tarrant County.
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 Aug 27, 12:10 PM CST, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 110 PM CDT THU AUG 27 2009 .AVIATION... FOR THE 18Z TAFS...VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT 24 TO 30 HRS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF POSSIBLE CONVECTION AFFECTING METROPLEX TAF SITES ALONG THE COLD FRONT. IN THE SHORT TERM WINDS ARE THE MOST DIFFICULT FORECAST...WITH AN APPARENT PREFRONTAL TROUGH WIND SHIFT WELL AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. CURRENT TIMING OF THIS PREFRONTAL TROUGH PUTS WIND SHIFT THRU METROPLEX IN THE 20-22Z TIMEFRAME...AND THEN COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE IN THE 00-01Z TIMEFRAME. IN GENERAL EXPECT BEST TSTM CHANCES TO OCCUR ALONG AND BEHIND THE FRONT...SO HAVE GONE WITH VCTS IN THE TAFS COINCIDING WITH THE EXPECTED FRONTAL TIMING. WITH AFTERNOON SKIES CLEARING OUT...SOMEWHAT MORE CONFIDENT IN TSTMS DEVELOPING ALONG THE FRONT THIS EVENING...BUT WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME ENHANCEMENT OF THE CU FIELD BEFORE MENTIONING ANYTHING STRONGER IN THE TAFS. BACKED THE FRONTAL TIMING AT ACT UNTIL NEARLY DAWN ON FRIDAY...THIS WILL BE MODULATED BY THE EXTENT OF CONVECTION ALONG THE FRONT THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING. A NEAR SOLID LINE OF CONVECTION ALONG THE FRONT WILL LIKELY SPEED ITS PASSAGE FASTER THAN WHAT IS INDICATED IN CURRENT FORECAST. BEHIND THE COLD FRONT EXPECT DRIER AIR TO FILTER INTO NORTH TX FOR FRIDAY. THIS AFTERNOON...VFR. CHC OF TSTMS METROPLEX TAF SITES. TONIGHT...VFR. POSSIBLE MVFR WITH ANY TSTMS IN METROPLEX OR ACT LATE. FRIDAY...VFR. POSSIBLE MVFR WITH ANY MORNING TSTMS NEAR ACT. CAVANAUGH && .UPDATE... ONLY A BIT OF LIGHT RAIN REMAINS FROM NOCTURNAL CONVECTION. IMPRESSIVE COLD POOL HAS PUSHED OUTFLOW BOUNDARY INTO SOUTH TEXAS. THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE SLOPE...NORTH OF THE SURFACE BOUNDARY... HAVE NOW EXITED THE CWA. THE CLOUDCOVER AND STABILIZED SURFACE LAYER WILL MEAN A RESPITE WELL INTO THE AFTERNOON BEFORE ANY CONVECTION CAN REDEVELOP. OWING TO CLOUDS AND MILD START TO THE DAY...HAVE LOWERED AFTERNOON TEMPS A BIT. HOWEVER...WARMED TEMPS IN SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST WHERE SUNSHINE HAS EFFECTIVELY ERODED THE COLD POOL. WACO IS 87F AT 11 AM...AND WILL FLIRT WITH 100F THIS AFTERNOON. COLD FRONT IS MOVING THROUGH WESTERN OKLAHOMA...AND WILL REACH NW CWA MID-AFTERNOON. MAIN CONCERNS ARE SFC HEATING AND UPPER FORCING. FRONTAL FORCING LATE AFTERNOON WILL BE CONFINED TO AREAS NORTH OF I-20...WHERE THE SURFACE LAYER WILL BE SLOWER TO RECOVER. 700MB SHORTWAVE OVER KANSAS APPEARS TO BE TAKING A MORE EASTWARD TRACK...WITH NORTH TEXAS NEUTRAL OR SUBSIDENT 700-400MB. NW FLOW ABOVE BOUNDARY SHOULD AID IN PROGRESSION OF SFC FRONT MORE THAN WHAT WOULD TYPICALLY BE EXPECTED DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS IN AUGUST. ALTHOUGH CONVECTION MAY DEVELOP WITH FRONTAL FORCING ALONE...BL INSTABILITY WOULD LIKELY BE TOO MEAGER FOR STRONG CONVECTION. POSTFRONTAL SHORTWAVE AT HIGHER ALTITUDE (INVOF 500MB) MAY ALLOW FOR ADDITIONAL CONVECTION OVERNIGHT...RESULTING IN MORE OF A NOCTURNAL EVENT FOR AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-20. WITH AFTERNOON PACKAGE...MAY INCREASE TONIGHT POPS...BY DELAYING END OF EVENT. UPDATED NUMBERS BELOW. UPDATED PRODUCTS BEING SENT NOW. 25 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 258 AM CDT THU AUG 27 2009/ THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT OUR RED RIVER AND NORTHWESTERN ZONES THIS MORNING...WITH REDEVELOPMENT EXPECTED LATER TODAY. FRONTAL BOUNDARY HAS MOVED LITTLE OVER THE LAST FEW HOURS...AND IS CURRENTLY SITTING FROM NEAR LUBBOCK TO CHILDRESS...TO PONCA CITY OKLAHOMA TO KANSAS CITY. SHORTWAVE TROF EVIDENT ACROSS NEBRASKA ON WATER VAPOR HAS ALREADY STARTED MOVING SOUTH/SOUTHEAST...AS EXPECTED...AND THIS PIECE OF ENERGY WILL HELP GIVE THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY A NUDGE SOUTHWARD. FORECAST REMAINS CONSISTENT THAT THE FRONT SHOULD PUSH ACROSS OUR AREA BY THIS EVENING. THE BULK OF THE ASSOCIATED PRECIP WILL SHIFT INTO OUR EASTERN/SOUTHEASTERN ZONES THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT...LEADING TO A CLEARING TREND OVER OUR NORTHWESTERN HALF. BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON...ONLY AN ISOLATED LINGERING SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM MAY REMAIN OVER OUR FAR SOUTHEASTERN COUNTIES. SATURDAY AND SUNDAY STILL APPEAR DRY FOR OUR AREA...WITH THE GULF TEMPORARILY SHUT OFF AS LOW LEVEL TRAJECTORIES REMAIN FROM THE NORTH. PATTERN FOR NEXT WEEK SPELLS FORECAST UNCERTAINTY AS TROUGHING OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE NATION AND A RIDGE TO OUR WEST RESULT IN NORTHWEST FLOW FOR NORTH TEXAS. EXPECT WEAK SURFACE BOUNDARIES...A DECENT SOUTHEASTERLY LOW LEVEL FETCH...AND SUBTLE UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES TO RESULT IN A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS. THE PATTERN APPEARS FAVORABLE FOR NIGHTTIME MCS DEVELOPMENT...ESPECIALLY DURING THE LATTER HALF OF NEXT WEEK. WILL CARRY SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FROM MONDAY THROUGH THE END OF THE FORECAST. IT WILL NOT RAIN IN ANY GIVEN LOCATION EACH DAY...BUT ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ON A DAILY /ESPECIALLY AFTERNOON/ BASIS. UNCERTAINTY IS HIGH IN THE EXTENDED PERIODS. TEMPERATURE WISE...READINGS FROM THE UPPER 80S TO MID 90S WILL BE COMMON DURING THE UPCOMING WEEK. EXPECT THE LOWEST AFTERNOON READINGS /UPPER 80S/ ALONG THE RED RIVER...WITH LOW TO MID 90S ACROSS THE I-20 CORRIDOR...AND MID 90S FOR CENTRAL TEXAS. FOR OVERNIGHT LOWS...THE DRIER AIRMASS BEHIND THE FRONT MAY ALLOW TEMPS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHTS TO FALL INTO THE LOW TO MID 60S IN A FEW LOCATIONS. HOWEVER...AN INCREASE IN MOISTURE/CLOUD COVER BY EARLY NEXT WEEK WILL PUMP OVERNIGHT LOWS BACK INTO THE UPPER 60S TO NEAR 70 DEGREES IN MOST AREAS. SCHULTZ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX 92 73 94 69 93 / 40 20 10 5 10 WACO, TX 98 72 97 67 97 / 30 30 20 10 10 PARIS, TX 88 68 89 65 90 / 40 40 10 5 10 DENTON, TX 91 69 93 66 92 / 40 20 10 5 10 MCKINNEY, TX 91 68 93 63 92 / 40 30 10 5 10 DALLAS, TX 92 74 94 70 93 / 40 30 10 5 10 TERRELL, TX 92 70 93 67 93 / 40 30 10 5 10 CORSICANA, TX 95 71 94 67 94 / 30 40 20 10 10 TEMPLE, TX 99 72 97 66 97 / 30 30 20 10 10 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 1234 PM CDT THU AUG 27 2009 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-281200- 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- 1234 PM CDT THU AUG 27 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS ALL OF NORTH TEXAS...HOWEVER THE BEST CHANCE FOR AFTERNOON STORMS LOOKS TO BE FOR AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20. THUNDERSTORMS REMAIN POSSIBLE THIS EVENING THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS FOR ALL OF NORTH TEXAS. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG A SLOW MOVING COLD FRONT...SO THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL DIMINISH FROM NORTH TO SOUTH DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS MAY BECOME STRONG TO SEVERE WITH DAMAGING OUTFLOW WINDS OF 60 MPH AND HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF A PENNY POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL RETURN AFTER THE WEEKEND. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... LIMITED SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THIS AFTERNOON ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20...AND THEN ACROSS THE ENTIRE OUTLOOK AREA TONIGHT. CAVANAUGH
The Ft Hood radar (KGRK), 107 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:28 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Large limbs were knocked down and two large barns suffered damage to a roof and sides in the community of Big Hill.
Lightning struck a pregnant female at 7:30 pm CDT as she crossed a residential street after exiting her car. The unborn child died soon after the strike and the mother died in the hospital three days later on August 30th at 4:44 PM CDT.
Numerous fences were blown down and trees uprooted. The winds were estimated at 70 mph.
Nickel size hail was reported in the community of Pioneer.
Numerous trees and power lines were knocked down in Alvarado.
Minor roof damage was reported at the Longhorn Grill on Parkway Ave. A 30 foot section of the metal roof was peeled off and water damage was reported to the inside of the building.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning, Tarrant | 2009-08-30 | 19 | Female | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
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, August 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: 193147, 192749, 192709, 192707, 192708, 192754.