A shortwave trough moved east over the Southern Plains during the early afternoon hours. This aided in the development of supercell thunderstorms along a weak cold front oriented along the Interstate 35 corridor in North Texas.
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.
A shortwave trough moved east over the Southern Plains during the early afternoon hours. This aided in the development of supercell thunderstorms along a weak cold front oriented along the Interstate 35 corridor in North Texas. These storms produced a large swath of golfball sized hail over the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and areas to the northeast to the Paris area. A few of these storms produced baseball sized hail primarily just south of the Metroplex and around Paris.
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 19, 1:51 PM CST, 1 hour 9 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 251 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2011 .DISCUSSION... ...SEVERE THREAT THIS EVENING... A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CONTINUES TO MOVE NORTHEAST AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING SHORTWAVE TROUGH. A COLD FRONT AND DRYLINE EXTEND SOUTHWEST OF THIS LOW. THE COLD FRONT IS CURRENTLY LOCATED ALONG A LINE FROM GAINESVILLE TO BRECKENRIDGE AND THE DRYLINE EXTENDS FROM GAINESVILLE TO HAMILTON. THESE BOUNDARIES ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING WITH INCREASING THUNDERSTORM CHANCES. LATEST HIGH RESOLUTION MODEL DATA CONTINUES TO SHOW THAT THE BEST CHANCES OF CONVECTION WILL BE AT THE POINT WHERE THE COLD FRONT AND DRYLINE MEET...WHICH SHOULD BE NORTH OF I-20 AND EAST OF I-35 THROUGH EARLY EVENING. LATEST AIRCRAFT SOUNDINGS SHOW THE CAP IS WEAKENING AS SYNOPTIC LIFT APPROACHES THE AREA AND SURFACE TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TO WARM. CLOUD TOPS ARE NOW BEGINNING TO INCREASE ALONG THE FRONT WHICH WOULD INDICATE INITIATION IS CLOSE TO OCCURRING IN THE FWD CWA. THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY INITIATED TO OUR NORTH...WHERE THE BEST LIFT IS OCCURRING. MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES ARE VERY STEEP AND ARE SUPPORTING CAPE VALUES IN EXCESS OF 4000 J/KG. ANY THUNDERSTORM THAT DOES DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL LIKELY DEVELOP RAPIDLY AND BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. GIVEN STEEP LOW LEVEL LAPSE RATES AS WELL WITH STRONG SOUTHERLY INFLOW...AN ISOLATED TORNADO CANT BE RULED OUT. A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR AREAS EAST AND NORTH OF A SHERMAN TO FORT WORTH TO CANTON LINE THROUGH 10 PM. THE INITIAL THREAT WILL BE IN THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE WATCH AREA AND THEN TRANSITION EAST AS THE FRONT/DRYLINE SLOWLY MOVE EAST. ADDITIONAL...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAY OCCUR SOUTH OF I-20...ALONG THE I-35 CORRIDOR LATER THIS EVENING AND AN ADDITIONAL WATCH BOX MAY BE NEEDED. THIS BOX WOULD LIKELY BE A SEVERE WATCH...AS THE TORNADO THREAT SHOULD DECREASE AFTER SUNSET. ...FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS... COOLER TEMPERATURES WILL FILTER INTO THE WESTERN ZONES OF NORTH TEXAS BEHIND A NORTHERLY WIND SHIFT /COLD FRONT/. THIS WILL ALLOW HUMIDITY VALUES TO INCREASE WHICH SHOULD SLOWLY HELP THE ONGOING FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS. MOISTURE LEVELS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE OVER THE NEXT 5 DAYS AND WIND SPEEDS WILL DECREASE...WHICH IS GOOD NEWS. HUMIDITY VALUES ARE STILL VERY LOW NONETHELESS AND WE'LL CONTINUE THE RED FLAG WARNING THROUGH 8 PM CDT. ...WEDNESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... THE COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO STALL IN OUR SOUTHERN ZONES BY TOMORROW MORNING AND WILL SLOWLY LIFT NORTHWARD DURING THE DAY. THIS BOUNDARY MAY SERVE AS A FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORM INITIATION DURING PEAK HEATING. WITH AMPLE CAPE...SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE...BUT WITH LITTLE UPPER SUPPORT...WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED. THE BOUNDARY WILL SURGE NORTHWARD WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND MORE WIDESPREAD PRECIP IS POSSIBLE AS LOW LEVEL LIFT STRENGTHENS. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW A LARGE CAP IN PLACE...BUT THERE IS ENOUGH MOISTURE AND ELEVATED INSTABILITY TO WARRANT 30 POPS. THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...A DRY LINE WILL ONCE AGAIN SET UP WEST OF THE CWA AND WILL CONTINUE WITH 20/30 POPS MAINLY IN THE NORTHWESTERN ZONES TO ACCOUNT FOR ANY THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. GUIDANCE MEMBERS DIFFER ON THE AMOUNT OF PRECIP EXPECTED...AND THESE POPS MAY NEED TO BE INCREASED OVER THE NEXT 2 DAYS. ADDITIONAL PRECIP CHANCES WILL REMAIN IN THE FORECAST THROUGH THE END OF THE PERIOD AS EXTENDED RANGE GUIDANCE CONTINUE TO INDICATE SEVERAL ROUNDS OF PRECIP POSSIBLE. HOPEFULLY THESE RAIN CHANCES OVER THE NEXT WEEK COME TO FRUITION AS DROUGHT CONTINUES TO WORSEN ACROSS NORTH TEXAS. 85/NH && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX 65 76 66 87 71 / 20 20 30 10 10 WACO, TX 72 84 68 88 73 / 20 20 30 10 10 PARIS, TX 61 74 62 82 68 / 50 20 40 10 10 DENTON, TX 59 72 63 86 71 / 20 20 30 10 20 MCKINNEY, TX 61 72 63 84 70 / 30 20 30 10 10 DALLAS, TX 65 77 66 87 71 / 30 20 30 10 10 TERRELL, TX 67 77 65 87 69 / 40 20 30 10 10 CORSICANA, TX 70 81 67 88 70 / 20 20 30 10 10 TEMPLE, TX 70 86 67 89 71 / 20 20 30 10 10 MINERAL WELLS, TX 57 75 61 85 68 / 5 20 30 20 30 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 8 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR TXZ091-092- 100>103-115>118-129>133-141>144-156-157. && 05/85
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 323 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2011 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-201200- 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- 323 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. TORNADO WATCH UNTIL 10 PM THIS EVENING FOR NORTHEAST PARTS OF NORTH TEXAS. SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS TO 70 MPH AND A FEW TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE NORTH AND EAST OF A GAINESVILLE...DALLAS-FORT WORTH...CORSICANA...CANTON LINE THROUGH MID TO LATE EVENING. AN ISOLATED THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL OCCUR FURTHER SOUTH DOWN THE INTERSTATE 35 CORRIDOR TO WACO. THE TORNADO THREAT WILL BE MOST PROMINENT THROUGH MID EVENING ACROSS NORTHEASTERN NORTH TEXAS WITH ANY DISCRETE...SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS. AFTER SUNSET...STORM MODE WILL BECOME MORE LINEAR ALONG THE COLD FRONT WITH HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING THE MAIN THREATS. A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN HALF OF NORTH TEXAS THROUGH 8 PM FOR GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS AND VERY LOW HUMIDITY VALUES THAT WILL CONTINUE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS RETURNS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...WITH BETTER CHANCES WEDNESDAY NIGHT. ANY STORM THAT DEVELOPS COULD BECOME STRONG TO SEVERE WITH RELATIVELY STRONG WINDS AND INSTABILITY ALOFT. OCCASIONAL LOW CHANCES FOR THUNDERSTORMS WILL OCCUR THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY...MAINLY ACROSS NORTHWEST PARTS OF NORTH TEXAS IN THE VICINITY OF A DRYLINE. A SEVERE STORM OR TWO COULD OCCUR EACH DAY...BUT HIGH UNCERTAINTY EXISTS ON FEATURES...TIMING AND INSTABILITY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS LIKELY ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF NORTH TEXAS THROUGH TONIGHT. 05/
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
358 PM CDT TUE APR 19 2011
..TIME.. ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE.. ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0356 PM HAIL DENTON 33.22N 97.15W
04/19/2011 E0.88 INCH DENTON TX AMATEUR RADIO
NICKEL SIZE HAIL REPORTED AT 288 AND I-35The Dallas/Ft Worth radar (KFWS), 78 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:00 UTC.
53 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Golfball sized hail fell in Krum which is approximately four and a half miles northwest of Denton.
A trained spotter reported golfball sized hail 7 miles south-southwest of Sherman and estimated 50 mph winds at the same time.
Half dollar sized hail was reported northeast of Flower Mound.
Quarter size hail fell in Highland Village.
Nickel sized hail was reported in Bells which is approximately 7 miles east of Sherman.
Quarter size hail fell near Highland Village.
Quarter to golfball sized hail fell for 6 minutes in The Colony.
Hen egg sized hail fell in Mulberry which is approximately 5 miles north northeast of Savoy.
Quarter sized hail was reported in The Colony.
Quarter to golfball sized hail fell in Grapevine.
Penny sized hail fell in Ivanhoe which is approximately 8 miles north of Bonham.
Quarter sized hail fell in southwest Fort Worth.
Nickel sized hail fell at Monkstown which is approximately 10 miles north of Honey Grove.
Golfball sized hail fell in southwest Fort Worth at the intersection of Interstate 20 and Bryant Irvin.
Golfball sized hail damaged cars to the east of Monkstown. This location is approximately 10 miles north-northeast of Honey Grove.
Penny to nickel sized hail fell at UT Dallas in Richardson.
Golfball sized hail fell in Tigertown which is approximately 12 miles west-northwest of Paris.
Golfball sized hail fell in south Fort Worth.
Golfball sized hail fell in Chicota which is approximately 13 miles north-northwest of Paris.
Golfball sized hail fell north of Paris at the intersection of Highway 271 and FM 1499.
Golfball sized hail fell in Powderly which is approximately 9 miles north of Paris.
Golfball sized hail fell 2 miles north of Hinkley which is approximately 5 miles north of Paris.
Tennis ball sized hail fell on Highway 271 north of Paris.
Ping pong ball sized hail fell in Powderly which is approximately 9 miles north of Paris.
Golfball to baseball sized hail was reported in Cleburne for nearly 15 minutes by several sources including spotters, broadcast media, and a local COOP Observer.
Half dollar sized hail fell approximately 6 miles southeast of Cleburne.
Golfball sized hail fell in Parker, which is approximately 5 miles east of Rio Vista.
A storm chaser observed tennis ball sized hail just west of Itasca.
The COOP Observer in Itasca reported hail stones up to 3.5 inches in diameter.
A storm chaser observed tea cup sized hail, which is about the size of an orange, approximately 5 miles north-northwest of Hillsboro.
Golfball sized hail fell 1 mile north of Carl's Corner, which is approximately 8 miles northeast of Hillsboro.
Quarter to golfball sized hail fell in Klondike, which is approximately 4 miles southwest of Cooper.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 2011
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: 302782, 302778, 302779, 302784, 302835, 302791, 302794, 302796, 302800, 302797, 302798, 302803, 302801, 302808, 302811, 302812, 302813, 302815, 302816, 302818, 302823, 302819, 302825, 302828, 302837, 302831, 302838, 302839, 302840, 302833, 303139, 303141, 302841, 302844, 303143, 303142, 302845, 301958, 302846, 302847, and more.