Slick roads caused by heavy rain resulted in 2 fatalities in Dallas. Lightning started a fire at a gas well in Somervell 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.
Slick roads caused by heavy rain resulted in 2 fatalities in Dallas. Lightning started a fire at a gas well in Somervell 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 Dec 21, 3:16 AM CST, 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 316 AM CST SAT DEC 21 2013 .DISCUSSION... STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW IS NOW APPROACHING WEST TEXAS AND WILL SWING NORTHEAST INTO OKLAHOMA TODAY. UPPER LEVEL LIFT AHEAD OF THE LOW IS OVERSPREADING THE REGION WITH WIDESPREAD RAINS AND EMBEDDED STORMS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ACROSS NORTH TEXAS THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS. THE COLD FRONT HAS MADE STEADY PROGRESS TO THE SOUTHEAST AND AS OF 3 AM HAS CLEARED THE CWA. THE FRONT IS VERY SHALLOW...ONLY 1 TO 3 THOUSAND FEET DEEP...AND THERE IS PLENTY OF ELEVATED INSTABILITY AND MOISTURE ABOVE THE FRONTAL INVERSION FOR CONVECTION. THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS WE WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH FOR ISOLATED STRONG STORMS WHICH MAY PRODUCE SMALL HAIL AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...BUT THE REAL SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WILL REMAIN TO THE EAST OF THE AREA IN THE WARM SECTOR. COLD ADVECTION BEHIND THE FRONT HAS BEGUN TO WANE AND THE HEAVIER RAIN IS DRAGGING WARMER AIR DOWN INTO THE LOW LEVELS. PREVIOUS LOCATIONS THAT WERE FLIRTING WITH FREEZING HAVE WARMED INTO THE MID 30S AND THUS THERE REMAINS NO CONCERN FOR ICING THIS FAR SOUTH EITHER. RAIN WILL RAPIDLY END FROM WEST TO EAST LATE THIS MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON AS A DRY SLOT ROTATES IN AROUND THE UPPER LOW. WARM WESTERLY FLOW WILL BECOME FAIRLY STRONG JUST ABOVE THE SURFACE...BUT THE SHALLOW FRONTAL INVERSION WILL BE A BIT STUBBORN AND KEEP MOST OF THE REGION SOCKED IN WITH LOW CLOUDS AND CHILLY TEMPERATURES FOR MOST OF THE DAY. THE EXCEPTION WILL BE THE SOUTHWESTERN ZONES...WHERE THE CLOUDS/FRONTAL INVERSION SHOULD BREAK BY MID AFTERNOON AND TEMPERATURES WILL RISE INTO THE 60S. IT IS TOUGH TO SAY HOW FAR NORTHEAST THE CLEARING LINE AND WARM WINDS MAKE IT BEFORE THE SUN ANGLE GETS TOO LOW...BUT WILL KEEP HIGHS IN THE 50S NORTH OF A HEARNE TO WACO TO COMANCHE LINE...AND IN THE 40S GENERALLY NORTH OF A GRAHAM TO ARLINGTON TO EMORY LINE. CLEAR SKIES MAY REACH THE I-20 CORRIDOR BY SUNSET...WHICH WOULD INCREASE THE THREAT OF DENSE FOG THIS EVENING FOR THE I-20 AREA AND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WILL HAVE TO BE MONITORED. A REINFORCING COLD FRONT WILL ARRIVE LATER TONIGHT AND NORTHERLY WINDS SHOULD END ANY FOG THREAT. HOWEVER...LIFTING OF THE SHALLOW LAYER OF MOISTURE MAY RESULT IN DRIZZLE BEHIND THE FRONT SUNDAY MORNING ALONG AND NORTH OF I-20. TEMPS BEHIND THE FRONT SHOULD STAY ABOVE FREEZING WHEN THIS OCCURS...SO LITTLE IMPACT IS EXPECTED FROM THIS ACTIVITY. CLEARING SKIES WILL TAKE PLACE ON SUNDAY...WITH MOST OF THE REGION SUNNY BY MID AFTERNOON. HIGHS WILL BE IN THE 40S WITH NORTHERLY WINDS NEAR 15 MPH. WINDS WILL STAY UP ENOUGH SUNDAY NIGHT TO INHIBIT GOOD RADIATIONAL COOLING...WITH LOWS GENERALLY IN THE MID 20S OVER THE REGION. MONDAY WILL BE SUNNY AND SEASONABLY COOL WITH HIGHS ONLY IN THE MID 40S. STRONG RADIATIONAL COOLING IS EXPECTED MONDAY NIGHT WITH THE USUAL COOLER LOCATIONS DROPPING INTO THE LOW 20S WITH MID TO UPPER 20S ELSEWHERE. TUESDAY WILL BE SUNNY AND A LITTLE WARMER...WITH HIGHS IN THE 50S. A SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL DROP IN FROM THE NORTHWEST BY MIDWEEK. MODEL GUIDANCE IS STILL NOT IN GREAT AGREEMENT REGARDING THIS SYSTEM OR HOW THE 500MB HEIGHT FIELD WILL EVOLVE. NONETHELESS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE SHOULD RETURN TO THE AREA ON CHRISTMAS DAY WITH CLOUDS KEEPING HIGH TEMPS A BIT COOLER IN THE UPPER 40S TO LOW 50S. THERE SHOULD BE ENOUGH LOW LEVEL SATURATION AND WEAK ISENTROPIC LIFT FOR A FEW SHOWERS CHRISTMAS DAY AND NIGHT. LOWS CHRISTMAS NIGHT WILL REMAIN WELL ABOVE FREEZING DUE TO THE SOUTHERLY WINDS AND CLOUD COVER. ECMWF SHOWS THE CHANCE OF RAIN WILL END WEDNESDAY NIGHT WHILE THE GFS LINGERS IT INTO FRIDAY. WILL CONTINUE WITH THE PREVIOUS FORECAST WHICH SHOWS LOW RAIN CHANCES CONTINUING INTO THURSDAY WHEN A WEAK FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. OTHERWISE QUIET WEATHER WITH TEMPS NEAR NORMAL IS EXPECTED LATE WEEK INTO NEXT WEEKEND. TR.92 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX 48 34 43 27 46 / 100 10 10 0 0 WACO, TX 56 39 48 27 48 / 90 10 10 0 0 PARIS, TX 46 36 43 25 44 / 100 10 10 0 0 DENTON, TX 45 32 42 24 44 / 100 10 10 0 0 MCKINNEY, TX 46 33 42 25 44 / 100 10 10 0 0 DALLAS, TX 49 37 44 27 46 / 100 10 10 0 0 TERRELL, TX 50 37 45 26 47 / 100 10 10 0 0 CORSICANA, TX 52 40 47 28 48 / 100 10 10 0 0 TEMPLE, TX 60 41 50 28 49 / 90 10 10 0 0 MINERAL WELLS, TX 49 30 43 23 47 / 90 10 10 0 0 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 1104 PM CST FRI DEC 20 2013 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-211200- 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- 1104 PM CST FRI DEC 20 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. WIDESPREAD RAIN WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TONIGHT. SOME OF THE STORMS MAY CONTAIN HAIL TO THE SIZE OF QUARTERS. IN AREAS SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM CAMERON TO ATHENS...DAMAGING WINDS MAY ACCOMPANY THE STRONGEST STORMS. HEAVY RAIN WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE...PRIMARILY ACROSS NORTHEAST TEXAS. SOME LIGHT FREEZING RAIN MAY OCCUR ALONG AND NORTHWEST OF A SHERMAN TO EASTLAND LINE...WHICH MAY PRODUCE A LIGHT COATING ON CARS...TREES AND OTHER ELEVATED SURFACES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL END FROM WEST TO EAST EARLY SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... VERY LIMITED SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED OVERNIGHT IN AREAS SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM CAMERON TO ATHENS.
The Dallas/Ft Worth radar (KFWS), 47 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:17 UTC.
2 heavy rain, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A vehicle lost control on I-35E due to slick roads from rain and crashed through a guardrail. The driver of the vehicle was killed and the passenger was injured.
Weather played a role in the death of a person who crashed their truck in the 4500 block of Davis Street near Cockrell Hill Rd. The roads were slick due to rain at the time of the accident. No other information about the deceased could be found.
A lightning strike started a fire at a gas well on CR 308 just north of Highway 67 between Glen Rose and Cleburne.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavy Rain, Dallas | 2013-12-21 | 43 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
| Heavy Rain, Dallas | 2013-12-21 | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, December 2013
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: 488900, 488899, 488898.