Two supercell thunderstorms formed over Montague County and moved east through Cooke and Grayson County. These storms produced hail up to the size of baseballs and produced 2 tornadoes.
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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.
Two supercell thunderstorms formed over Montague County and moved east through Cooke and Grayson County. These storms produced hail up to the size of baseballs and produced 2 tornadoes.
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 Mar 26, 5:30 PM CST, 1 minute earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 630 PM CDT THU MAR 26 2009 .AVIATION... /00Z TAFS/ DRYLINE JACKSBORO TO BROWNWOOD HAS ENDED ITS PUSH EAST AND HAS BEGUN RETREATING. CAP PERSISTS...WITH LITTLE CU REMAINING. CONVECTION HAS BEEN LIMITED TO MONTAGUE COUNTY INVOF SFC LOW. TAF SITES WILL REMAIN IN HUMID SECTOR...WHERE ST/BR SHOULD RETURN AROUND 06Z (1 AM CDT). LIFR CIGS AND IFR VSBY WILL PREVAIL UNTIL WINDS VEER AROUND MIDDAY. NO CHANGE NEEDED TO TIMING OF WIND SHIFT (AND POTENTIAL NEAR- BOUNDARY CONVECTION). INITIAL POSTFRONTAL WINDS WILL BE AROUND 270. THEREAFTER...PERFECT PROG WINDS ARE CLOSER TO 300...BUT MOS GENERALLY 280-290. AGREE WITH CWSU ZFW THAT NW FLOW AT DFW IS LIKELY...31L/R. WINDS MAY TEMPORARILY REACH 30KTS SUSTAINED WITH GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40KTS. STRONG WINDS WILL PERSIST THROUGHOUT 24-30HR EXTENSION OF TAFDFW. 25 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 341 PM CDT THU MAR 26 2009/ STRATUS HAS PERSISTED OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF NORTH TEXAS THROUGH THE MID AFTERNOON HOURS...WHILE CLEARING HAS OCCURRED WEST OF I-35. SURFACE BASED INSTABILITY HAS INCREASED TO OVER 1500 J/KG AHEAD OF THE DRY LINE...WITH DIMINISHING INHIBITION AS CONVECTIVE TEMPS NEAR 80 DEGREES ARE REACHED. IN THE LAST HOUR OR SO CUMULUS HAS CONGEALED ALONG THE DRY LINE...WHICH STALLED FROM HENRIETTA TO NEAR MASON. SOME CELLS DEVELOPED...BUT STRUGGLED TO ESTABLISH THEMSELVES WITHIN STRONG DEEP LAYER SHEAR...AND HAVE SO FAR DISSIPATED. THIS IS AN INDICATION OF A LACK OF DEEP LAYER FORCING AND DRY AIR ENTRAINMENT INTO YOUNG UPDRAFTS. WE EXPECT WITH A COUPLE MORE HOURS OF HEATING...A COUPLE SEVERE SUPERCELLS WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE DRY LINE. COVERAGE SHOULD BE LOW...ONLY 20-30 PERCENT. PARAMETERS ARE VERY FAVORABLE FOR LARGE HAIL...BUT WIND AND LOW LEVEL ROTATION WITH SUPERCELLS WEST OF I-35 WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. STORMS THAT DO DEVELOP WILL HAVE TO BECOME ELEVATED ABOVE STOUT CAP TO SURVIVE IN ENVIRONMENT EAST OF I-35 EARLY THIS EVENING. MODELS SUGGEST SLUG OF UPPER LEVEL FORCING WILL ARRIVE BY MID EVENING...AND PRIMARILY INFLUENCE THE NORTHERN ZONES. THIS IS WHERE NAM/RUC DEVELOP QPF...AND THE HIGHEST POPS WILL BE PLACED OVER THE NORTHEAST ZONES FOR TONIGHT. POWERFUL EARLY SPRING UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL CLOSE OFF TOMORROW WITH BLIZZARD CONDITIONS SPREADING INTO THE TX PANHANDLE. COLD FRONT WILL RACE SOUTHEAST THROUGH NORTH TEXAS DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. WINDS WILL BE VERY STRONG...WITH GUSTS TO 45 OR 50 MPH POSSIBLE WITH THE FRONT. AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT...WILL CONTINUE THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY OVER THE NORTHERN AND EASTERN ZONES WHERE BEST MOISTURE/INSTABILITY WILL BE PRESENT. TEMPERATURES WILL FALL INTO THE 40S BEHIND THE FRONT...WITH LOWS FRIDAY NIGHT IN THE 30S. PARTIAL THICKNESS VALUES SUPPORT SNOW WITH WRAP AROUND PRECIP ALONG THE RED RIVER FRIDAY EVENING...BUT LITTLE MOISTURE IN THE ICE ACTIVATION LAYER MAY KEEP PRECIP ALL LIQUID. WILL CONTINUE TO INCLUDE RAIN/SNOW MIX ALONG THE RED RIVER COUNTIES...BUT NO ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED. SIDED WITH COLDER PERFECT PROG GUIDANCE FOR TEMPS THIS WEEKEND AS CLIMO INFLUENCED MAV/MET MOS PROBABLY DO NOT HAVE A HANDLE ON LOW LEVEL THERMAL PROFILES THIS COLD THIS TIME OF YEAR. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO NORTH TEXAS SATURDAY NIGHT AND SET THE STAGE FOR WIDESPREAD FROST...AND ISOLATED AREAS OF FREEZING TEMPERATURES. A FREEZE OR FROST WOULD PUT ANY TENDER VEGETATION AT RISK. OTHERWISE...SUNDAY/MONDAY WILL BE NICE WITH RETURN FLOW SETTING UP AND WARMER TEMPERATURES. A COUPLE SYSTEMS WILL AFFECT THE REGION NEXT WEEK. THE FIRST WILL BE ON MONDAY NIGHT AND THE SECOND ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. THE FIRST SYSTEM WILL HAVE LIMITED MOISTURE AND WILL KEEP LOW POPS CONFINED TO THE NORTHEAST ZONES. WILL FAVOR THE ECMWF FOR THE SECOND SYSTEM...WHICH INDICATES A DRYLINE SET UP WEDNESDAY EVENING...WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN AREAWIDE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY AS UPPER LEVEL LOW TRACKS OVER. TEMPERATURES WILL BE SEASONABLE NEXT WEEK. TR.92 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX 58 65 35 52 35 / 30 50 20 5 0 WACO, TX 59 70 37 59 34 / 20 40 10 5 0 PARIS, TX 57 68 35 48 33 / 40 70 50 10 0 DENTON, TX 54 63 33 50 33 / 40 50 30 5 0 MCKINNEY, TX 58 67 35 50 32 / 40 60 30 5 0 DALLAS, TX 60 67 36 52 39 / 30 50 20 5 0 TERRELL, TX 60 69 35 53 34 / 40 60 20 5 0 CORSICANA, TX 59 71 36 57 34 / 30 50 10 5 0 TEMPLE, TX 59 71 38 62 34 / 20 30 10 5 0 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 25/05
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 347 PM CDT THU MAR 26 2009 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-271215- 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- 347 PM CDT THU MAR 26 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THROUGH TONIGHT. THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TONIGHT ACROSS MOST OF NORTH TEXAS...WITH THE GREATEST CHANCES EAST OF THE I-35 CORRIDOR. SOME STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE MAIN THREATS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AGAIN FRIDAY ACROSS ALL OF NORTH TEXAS. SOME STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE MAIN THREATS. NORTHWEST WINDS BEHIND A COLD FRONT ARE EXPECTED TO GUST AS HIGH AS 50 MPH ACROSS NORTH TEXAS TOMORROW. ADDITIONALLY...LIGHT SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE RED RIVER FRIDAY NIGHT. NO ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. A WIDESPREAD FROST IS POSSIBLE SATURDAY NIGHT WITH A FEW LOCATIONS DROPPING BELOW FREEZING. THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE MONDAY NIGHT EAST OF I-35 AND AGAIN WEDNESDAY ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... LIMITED SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED GENERALLY EAST OF I-35. 13
The Altus AFB radar (KFDR), 124 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:31 UTC.
15 hail, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Quarter size hail was observed by a trained spotter 1 mile south of Belcherville and 3 miles west of Nocona.
Half dollar size hail fell 2 miles north of Nocona.
Nickel size hail fell in the city of Nocona.
Quarter size hail fell 5 miles northeast of Nocona.
Half dollar to golfball size hail fell in the city of Nocona.
Golfball size hail was observed in Bonita.
A brief tornado lasting 30 seconds was reported 1 mile east of Bonita.
Golfball size hail was observed 3 miles west-northwest of Muenster.
Nickel size hail was reported 1 mile south of Nocona.
Nickel size hail fell in the city of Nocona.
Quarter size hail was reported 2 miles northeast of Nocona.
Multiple reports indicate that golfball size hail fell for approximately 20 minutes in the city of Saint Jo. The large hail caused extensive damage to 4 fire department vehicles and broke windows and other windshields.
Hen Egg size hail fell 3 miles northwest of Muenster. The local newspaper reported that the hail broke one window at a house and tore other window screens. The hail also stripped trees of their leaves and flowers, stripped the leaves and flowers off onion and hyacinth plants, and cracked the windshield of a VFD truck. The hail hit so hard that it left indentions in the ground.
Cooke County Fire Department relayed via amateur radio a tornado on the ground near Highway 82 3 miles west of Muenster.
Baseball size hail was reported in the city of Muenster.
Baseball size hail fell 2 miles west-southwest of Pottsboro.
Golfball to Baseball size hail fell in Sherman. In some places the hail formed drifts and partially covered the ground.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 2009Warnings in Texas, March 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: 157218, 157219, 157220, 157221, 157223, 157224, 157840, 157225, 157226, 157227, 157228, 157230, 157231, 157841, 157232, 157233, 157863.