Severe storms erupted along a cold front that was located over Northwest Texas during the afternoon hours. These storms were aided by a shortwave that was crossing the boundary.
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.
Severe storms erupted along a cold front that was located over Northwest Texas during the afternoon hours. These storms were aided by a shortwave that was crossing the boundary. The storms merged into a MCS that moved southeast into the North Texas area. This complex of storms produced wind damage over the northwestern half of the CWA but weakened as it reached the Interstate 35 corridor.
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 May 28, 5:47 PM CST, 53 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 647 PM CDT MON MAY 28 2012 .AVIATION... /00Z TAFS/ CONCERNS...THUNDERSTORMS...MVFR CIGS AT WACO. THUNDERSTORMS... SEVERE CONVECTION DEVELOPED NEAR SURFACE BOUNDARY NORTHWEST OF FWD CWA. ALTHOUGH STORMS INITIALLY HAD AN EASTWARD TRAJECTORY...CELLS HAVE ALREADY BEGUN TURNING RIGHT TOWARD MOIST INFLOW. MEAN FLOW WOULD SUGGEST SOUTHEASTWARD PROGRESSION AWAY FROM THE BOUNDARY WILL CONTINUE THE REMAINDER OF THE EVENING. INSTABILITY DECREASES TOWARD THE METROPLEX...AND THE STORMS WILL SOON BE INGESTING A POST-SUNSET BOUNDARY LAYER. THERE WILL STILL BE FAVORABLE INSTABILITY DOWNSTREAM THIS EVENING...BUT STORMS WILL LIKELY DIMINISH IN INTENSITY...REACHING THE METROPLEX LATE EVENING TOWARD MIDNIGHT. WILD CARD WILL BE A RATHER INNOCUOUS SHORTWAVE NOW IN NORTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO (EVIDENT ON WV IMAGERY)...WHICH MAY APPROACH NORTH TEXAS AROUND MIDNIGHT OR THEREAFTER. FOR NOW... HAVE LIMITED VCTS/CB TO 04-06Z (11PM-1AM CDT) TIME FRAME. WILL ASSESS FURTHER WITH 03Z AMENDMENTS. TUESDAY... POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL CONVECTION TUESDAY AFTERNOON...BUT WITH LOW CONFIDENCE...WILL FORGO INCLUSION IN TAFS AT THIS TIME. WACO... STORMS WILL STAY WELL TO THE NORTH. STRATUS EXPECTED TO INVADE CENTRAL AND EAST TEXAS TOWARD DAWN...LIKELY REACHING WACO BEFORE SUNRISE. IN LATE MAY WARMTH...PAPER THIN LAYER SHOULD EFFECTIVELY MIX OUT BY 14Z (9AM CDT). 25 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 306 PM CDT MON MAY 28 2012/ CUMULUS HAVE BEEN ON THE INCREASE ALONG AND NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM BOWIE TO BRECKENRIDGE THIS AFTERNOON...AHEAD OF A FRONT THAT CURRENTLY STRETCHES FROM NORTH-CENTRAL OKLAHOMA TO THE TEXAS SOUTH PLAINS. THE BOUNDARY IS NOT MAKING MUCH PROGRESS SOUTHEAST...AS THE MAIN UPPER TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED ENERGY CAN BE SEEN ON SATELLITE TREKKING EAST OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS. THERE IS HOWEVER A SUBTLE SHORTWAVE WORKING ITS WAY EAST TOWARDS THE AREA IN THE ZONAL FLOW ALOFT. THIS SHOULD HELP WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS DURING PEAK HEATING LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING IN THE MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR AHEAD OF THE FRONT...LIKELY IN THE VICINITY OF THE DEVELOPING CU FIELD. WINDS HAVE DECREASED SOME TODAY COMPARED TO THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS. MEAN FLOW WILL REMAIN MODEST WITH 500MB WINDS AROUND 30 KTS INCREASING TO 50 KTS AT 300 MB. HOWEVER...MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY WILL BE SUFFICIENT ENOUGH FOR A FEW STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS...WITH PWS INCREASING TO AROUND AN INCH AND A HALF AND SB CAPE NEAR 3000 J/KG. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREATS. COVERAGE MAY NOT INITIALLY BE ALL THAT HIGH...BUT COULD QUICKLY INCREASE WITH TIME ESPECIALLY IF SUFFICIENT CELL MERGERS OCCUR...A SMALL COLD POOL DEVELOPS AND ACTIVITY BECOMES MORE ORGANIZED. STORM MOTION TO THE EAST WOULD ALLOW ACTIVITY TO SPREAD EAST ACROSS NORTH TEXAS TONIGHT...AND GRADUALLY WEAKEN DUE TO THE LOSS OF SURFACE HEATING AND THE PRESENCE OF A STRONGER CAPPING INVERSION FARTHER TO THE EAST. AT THIS TIME WILL KEEP THE HIGHEST POPS TONIGHT OVER THE NORTHWEST AND TAPER THEM OFF TO SLIGHT CHANCE ALONG A SULPHUR SPRINGS TO GOLDTHWAITE LINE. UPPER RIDGING IS PROGGED TO INCREASE ACROSS THE AREA TOMORROW. THUNDERSTORMS WILL REMAIN MOSTLY ALONG AND NORTH OF THE RED RIVER NEAR THE QUASI-STATIONARY FRONT DURING THE DAY...BUT MAY THEN SLIDE SOUTHEAST IN THE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AFFECTING THE NORTHEASTERN THIRD OF NORTH TEXAS TOMORROW NIGHT. AN IMPRESSIVE SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL THEN DROP SOUTHWARD FROM CANADA INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS ON WEDNESDAY BEFORE DEEPENING OVER THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THIS SHOULD FORCE THE COLD FRONT SOUTHWARD ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL TEXAS THURSDAY AND POSSIBLY ALL THE WAY TO THE UPPER TEXAS COAST ON FRIDAY. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL ACCOMPANY THE FRONT LATE WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY. THE BEST CHANCES WILL BE OVER THE EASTERN AND NORTHEASTERN COUNTIES WHERE UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT WILL BE BEST. TEMPERATURES WILL RETURN TO NEAR OR JUST BELOW NORMAL BY THE END OF THE WEEK BEHIND THE FRONT. 30 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX 75 93 74 92 73 / 20 10 20 10 30 WACO, TX 72 92 72 91 74 / 10 5 10 10 20 PARIS, TX 72 90 70 89 70 / 20 20 30 20 50 DENTON, TX 72 93 71 92 72 / 30 20 30 20 40 MCKINNEY, TX 71 93 71 91 73 / 20 20 30 20 40 DALLAS, TX 75 93 74 92 73 / 20 10 20 10 30 TERRELL, TX 72 94 71 91 72 / 20 10 20 10 30 CORSICANA, TX 72 93 72 91 73 / 10 5 10 10 30 TEMPLE, TX 70 92 71 91 73 / 10 5 5 10 20 MINERAL WELLS, TX 70 93 70 92 71 / 30 20 20 10 30 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 25/92
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 315 PM CDT MON MAY 28 2012 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-291200- 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- 315 PM CDT MON MAY 28 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. ISOLATED STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG AND NORTHWEST OF A CISCO TO GAINESVILLE LINE BY EARLY THIS EVENING. HAZARDS FROM THESE STORMS INCLUDES VERY LARGE HAIL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND DAMAGING WINDS. LATER THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT...THE STORM THREAT WILL SPREAD SOUTH AND EAST TO A GOLDTHWAITE...HILLSBORO...SULPHUR SPRINGS LINE WITH THE BEST COVERAGE OCCURRING NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20. A WEAKENING TREND IN STORMS IS EXPECTED AFTER MIDNIGHT...AS THEY MOVE INTO A MORE STABLE ENVIRONMENT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE NORTHERN HALF OF NORTH TEXAS ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AND ACROSS ALL OF NORTH TEXAS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. STORMS THAT DEVELOP DURING THIS TIME MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE MAIN THREATS. THE GREATEST THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL GENERALLY BE NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20 TOWARD THE RED RIVER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED NORTH AND WEST OF A SHERMAN...TO DALLAS...TO HAMILTON LINE THROUGH MIDNIGHT. 05/
The Dyess AFB radar (KDYX), 103 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:30 UTC.
8 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
A 2-foot pecan tree was blown down in Olney. Outbuildings and fences were also damaged.
Large trees and tree limbs were blown down in Bowie. Some of the tree limbs were nearly a foot in diameter. One large tree limb fell on a garage. Minor building damage was also reported and downed power lines resulted in power outages. The winds were estimated to be between 65 and 75 mph.
A building on Alamo Road south of Montague sustained roof damage. The metal roof of the building was partially peeled back.
Several roofs of homes were damaged between Breckenridge and Crystal Falls. Trees were also blown down.
Part of the roof of the library in Alvord was blown off by thunderstorm winds. The building was an old historic brick building.
Some 4 tree limbs were knocked down in Weatherford.
Tree limbs that were 6 in diameter were knocked down in Granbury by thunderstorm winds. The winds were estimated to be at least 60 mph.
Numerous trees and tree limbs were knocked down along the Highway 75 corridor between Sherman and Van Alstyne. A few of the trees were approximately 20 inches in diameter.
Some dime to nickel sized hail fell east of White Rock Lake.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, May 2012
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: 383452, 383457, 383467, 383474, 383487, 383489, 383492, 383496, 383497.