Drought conditions continued across portions of North and Central Texas through the month of April, with twenty-six of the forty-six counties experiencing drought during the month. However, multiple rounds of precipitation throughout April helped lessen the severity and extent of the drought across portions of the area.
Every event with a place to put it; 25 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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.
Drought conditions continued across portions of North and Central Texas through the month of April, with twenty-six of the forty-six counties experiencing drought during the month. However, multiple rounds of precipitation throughout April helped lessen the severity and extent of the drought across portions of the area.
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 31, 11:03 PM CST, 57 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 1203 AM CDT WED APR 1 2015 .AVIATION... /06Z TAFS/ CONCERNS...THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL...NOCTURNAL STRATUS. STORMS OVERNIGHT WILL BE PRIMARILY CONFINED TO OKLAHOMA...AIDED BY A TRANSITING MID-LEVEL DISTURBANCE. THE ACTIVITY SKIRTING THE RED RIVER WILL BE PRIMARILY ELEVATED AND NON-SEVERE...AND WILL SHIFT WELL EAST OF THE NORTH DEPARTURE CORRIDOR BY MORNING OPERATIONS. LATEST GUIDANCE IS PROJECTING A LLJ WEAKER THAN THE FWS VWP OUTPUT OF 40-45KTS AT 2KFT AGL AND UP. THE OKLAHOMA STORMS SHOULD SUSTAIN A POTENT LLJ DURING THE EARLY MORNING HOURS...HELPING TO PULL MVFR STRATUS INTO ALL TAF SITES BEFORE DAWN. THERE SHOULD BE LESS OF A WESTERLY COMPONENT THAN TUESDAY MORNING...ENHANCING THE CHANCES THAT THIS DECK IS ABLE TO BLANKET THE WESTERN METROPLEX AIRPORTS. STILL EXPECT DALLAS/ARLINGTON/WACO WILL BE THE LAST TO SCATTER WEDNESDAY...IN FACT...THESE SITES MAY SIMPLY TRANSITION FROM MORNING STRATUS TO A BROKEN AFTERNOON STRATOCU DECK. AN IMPULSE WITH A MORE SOUTHERLY TRACK IS CURRENTLY MOVING THROUGH CHIHUAHUA AND THE TRANS-PECOS. THIS FEATURE WILL HELP TO SPREAD SCATTERED SHOWERS/STORMS ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL TEXAS ON WEDNESDAY. FOR WACO...APPEARS MOST OF THE ACTIVITY WILL BE EARLIER IN THE DAY...PRIMARILY SHOWERS. AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORM CHANCES ARE STILL TOO LOW FOR CATEGORICAL MENTION...BUT WILL MAINTAIN A LATE AFTERNOON WINDOW OF VCTS FOR METROPLEX SITES. STRATUS WILL RETURN EARLIER WEDNESDAY NIGHT. HAVE INTRODUCED THIS INTO ALL TAFS. 25 && .UPDATE... A QUICK UPDATE TO TRIM POPS TO ONLY AREAS NORTH OF HWY 380 BETWEEN JACKSBORO AND SULPHUR SPRINGS...AS THE ELEVATED MIXED LAYER /A SCIENTIFIC NAME FOR THE CAP/ APPEARS STRONGER WITH MUCH DRIER LOWER LEVELS AT FWD COMPARED TO OUN/S SOUNDING AT 00Z. STORMS THAT WERE OUT BY ABILENE ARE A TRUE INDICATOR TO THIS VERY ITEM...THOUGH INSTABILITY ABOVE THE ELEVATED MIXED LAYER REMAINS HIGH WITH LAPSE RATES BETWEEN 7-8 DEG C/KM EXPECTED THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT ACROSS THE RED RIVER VALLEY. THE BOUNDARY LAYER WILL CONTINUE TO COOL AND STABILIZE WITH ANY STORMS NEAR THE RED RIVER COUNTIES LIKELY BEING ELEVATED IN NATURE BY THE TIME THEY REACH OUR COUNTIES. I HELD POPS IN THE CHANCE CATEGORY FOR THE TAIL-END OF A POSSIBLE MCS THE HRRR AND SREF HAVE TRACKING EASTWARD ACROSS SOUTH-CENTRAL OK OVERNIGHT AND THROUGH SUNRISE WEDNESDAY. MODELS HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL PARAMETERS ALL AFTERNOON AND EVENING LONG WITH CONVECTIVE EVOLUTION AND EXTENT... BUT WITH NIGHTFALL UPON US THEY SEEM TO BE GETTING A LITTLE BETTER HANDLE ON IT...OUTSIDE OF THE 18Z TTU WRF WHICH ALREADY HAD STORMS FROM BOWIE TO SHERMAN BY NOW. I IMAGINE THE 00Z VERSION SHOULD BE BETTER. OTHERWISE...I DID ADD A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS INTO THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD FOR THOSE PARTS OF CENTRAL TEXAS ALONG/WEST OF I-35 ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH OUR FAR WESTERN COUNTIES...AS A SHORTWAVE DISTURBANCE OVER MEXICO MOVES NORTHEAST TOWARD THOSE AREAS. THUNDERSTORM CHANCES SHOULD THEN SPREAD NORTHEAST ACROSS THE MAJORITY OF NORTH TEXAS ON WEDNESDAY...WITH A FEW STRONG STORMS CONTAINING SMALL HAIL POSSIBLE ALONG THE NORTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE BETTER CHANCES WHERE STEEPER MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES WILL RESIDE...INCLUDING THE DFW METRO AREA INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS. 05/ && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 334 PM CDT TUE MAR 31 2015/ A SPLIT FLOW REGIME APPEARS TO BE IN PLACE ACROSS THE CONUS WITH MULTIPLE PROGRESSIVE WEATHER FEATURES POTENTIALLY AFFECTING NORTH TEXAS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT IS CURRENTLY TAKING PLACE IN THE NORTHERN STREAM FROM THE ROCKIES INTO THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PLAINS. SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES ONE SHORTWAVE TRAVELING SOUTHEAST ACROSS ARKANSAS/EASTERN OK IN THIS FLOW WITH A SECOND DISTURBANCE MOVING INTO THE OK PANHANDLE. AT THE SURFACE...AN INSTABILITY AXIS RESIDES ALONG AND JUST NORTH OF THE RED RIVER WHERE IN THE VICINITY OF AN OLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS ACROSS SE OK WHERE STRONG SURFACE HEATING AND LIFT GENERATED BY THE FIRST SHORTWAVE SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO OVERCOME A CAP CURRENTLY IN PLACE. THESE STORMS WOULD LIKELY MOVE EAST-SOUTHEAST...WITH A FEW CELLS AFFECTING THE NORTHEAST COUNTIES AROUND SUNSET. GIVEN THE IMPRESSIVE INSTABILITY IN PLACE...A FEW OF THESE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL BEING THE MAIN THREAT. ADDITIONAL CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER SOUTHWEST OK IN THE 5 TO 8 PM TIME FRAME AS THE SECOND SHORTWAVE APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST. THESE STORMS WOULD BE SLOW MOVING AND LIKELY PROPAGATE EAST-SOUTHEAST. FOR THE REST OF THE RED RIVER COUNTIES...TIMING WOULD BE LATER IN THE EVENING AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WITH THIS ACTIVITY. SOME OF THE MOST RECENT HI- RES MODEL DATA IS SUGGESTIVE OF UPSCALE GROWTH INTO MULTICELL CLUSTERS AS STORMS PROPAGATE INTO NORTHWEST COUNTIES OF NORTH TEXAS...WHICH SHOULD LIMIT THE OVERALL SEVERE THREAT FOR OUR REGION. AN OVERALL WEAKENING TREND WOULD TAKE PLACE OVERNIGHT AS STORMS APPROACH THE I-20 CORRIDOR. FOR TONIGHT...WE WILL INDICATE HIGHEST POPS ALONG THE RED RIVER...WITH SLIGHT CHANCE ALONG I-20 AND LITTLE IF ANYTHING EXPECTED ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE REGION. ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY AS A SHORTWAVE TROUGH /CURRENTLY LOCATED OVER NORTHERN MEXICO/ TRAVERSES THE STATE WITHIN THE SOUTHERN STREAM WESTERLY FLOW. THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ANY PARTICULAR FOCUSING MECHANISM AND CONVECTION WILL LIKELY REMAIN WIDELY SCATTERED IN NATURE. INCREASING MOISTURE WILL LIMIT THE MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES AND MARGINALIZE THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER....THOUGH A FEW STRONG STORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE. UPPER LEVEL FLOW BECOMES CONJOINED AGAIN DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE WEEK...WITH A FAST MOVING TROUGH MOVING EAST ACROSS THE CENTRAL CONUS THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THE ATTENDANT COLD FRONT WILL PUSH SOUTH TOWARDS THE RED RIVER THURSDAY WHILE A DRYLINE SURGES EAST TOWARDS THE I-35 CORRIDOR. SHEAR AND INSTABILITY WILL BE IMPRESSIVE...BUT VEERING WINDS AND A STRONG CAP WILL LIKELY INHIBIT CONVECTIVE INITIATION. THE EXCEPTION MAY BE NEAR THE RED RIVER ALONG THE DRYLINE A FEW HOURS PRIOR TO SUNSET WHEN THE CAP BECOMES WEAKEST. WE WILL INDICATE 20 POPS IN THIS AREA THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND THEN ACROSS THE NORTHEAST COUNTIES THURSDAY NIGHT. THE COLD FRONT WILL DIVE SOUTH THROUGH NORTH TEXAS ON FRIDAY WITH ONLY LOW-END CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND STORMS EXPECTED EARLY IN THE DAY ALONG THE FRONT. DRIER CONDITIONS AND MORE SEASONAL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. THE COOL AIR WILL REMAIN IN PLACE ON SUNDAY. RAIN CHANCES ARE EXPECTED DURING THE DAY AND OVERNIGHT SUNDAY NIGHT AS SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT BECOMES ESTABLISHED AND OVERRUNNING ENSUES. EMBEDDED THUNDER WILL BE A POSSIBILITY BUT SHOULD REMAIN FAIRLY ISOLATED IN NATURE. WARMER AIR WILL RETURN MONDAY AS THE FRONT LIFTS BACK TO THE NORTH. STORM CHANCES WILL RETURN AREA-WIDE NEXT TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY ASSOCIATED WITH ANOTHER PROGRESSIVE UPPER TROUGH AND ANOTHER COLD FRONT. 30 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX 65 81 65 87 66 / 10 30 30 10 10 WACO, TX 65 78 64 86 66 / 20 30 30 10 10 PARIS, TX 62 79 63 79 65 / 30 30 40 10 20 DENTON, TX 64 81 64 88 64 / 20 30 20 10 20 MCKINNEY, TX 63 81 64 83 65 / 20 30 30 10 20 DALLAS, TX 66 81 65 87 66 / 10 30 30 10 10 TERRELL, TX 64 81 64 83 66 / 10 30 40 10 10 CORSICANA, TX 64 80 64 82 66 / 10 40 40 10 10 TEMPLE, TX 64 78 64 85 66 / 20 40 30 10 10 MINERAL WELLS, TX 63 84 63 93 63 / 10 20 10 10 10 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 25/05
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 849 PM CDT TUE MAR 31 2015 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-020200- 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- 849 PM CDT TUE MAR 31 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS. .DAY ONE...REST OF TONIGHT. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS NORTH OF A GRAHAM TO DENTON TO SULPHUR SPRINGS LINE. THE MOST LIKELY AREA FOR ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ALONG AND NORTH OF A BOWIE TO SHERMAN TO PARIS LINE. THE MAIN HAZARDS WILL BE LARGE HAIL...STRONG WINDS...AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NEARLY ALL OF NORTH AND CENTRAL TEXAS ON WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY EVENING. SOME STORMS MAY BE STRONG TO SEVERE. THE MAIN HAZARDS WILL BE LARGE HAIL...GUSTY WINDS...AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING DURING THIS TIME FRAME. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...MAINLY FOR AREAS EAST OF THE INTERSTATE 35 CORRIDOR AND NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE 20 CORRIDOR. LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL BE THE MAIN HAZARDS. THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS FOR PARTS OF NORTH AND CENTRAL TEXAS FROM FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... LIMITED SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED ALONG AND NORTH OF A BOWIE TO SHERMAN TO PARIS LINE. 15-BAIN
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
25 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
The northwest half of Young County spent the month in D3/Extreme drought conditions, while the southeast half spend the month in D4/Exceptional drought conditions.
The northern half of Jack County started most of the month in D3/Extreme drought conditions, while the southern half spend most of the month in D4/Exceptional drought conditions. However, towards the end of the month, the southeastern sections of the county improved to D3/Extreme drought conditions.
At the beginning of April, D3/Extreme drought covered all but the northern quarter of Wise County, where Severe/D2 conditions were in place. Multiple rounds of precipitation affected the area in April, and by mid April, the coverage of D3/Extreme drought diminished and was contained to only the southwestern portions of the county. By the end of the month, the only drought remaining was across the southwestern half of Wise County, where D2/Severe drought conditions were present.
The southwestern portions of Denton County started the month of April in D3/Extreme Drought, but much of the rest of the county experienced D2/Severe Drought. By the middle of the month, the drought had improved and only the southern half of the county was under D2/Severe drought conditions due to multiple rounds of precipitation. By the end of the month, the drought had ended for the entire county.
The southern half of Collin County started the month of April in D2/Severe drought conditions. By the end of April, the drought had been alleviated due to multiple rounds of precipitation.
Most of Hunt County started the month of April in D2/Severe drought conditions, but by late April, the drought had been alleviated due to multiple rounds of precipitation.
Rockwall County started the month of April in D2/Severe drought conditions, but by the end of the month, the drought had been alleviated due to multiple rounds of precipitation.
The western quarter of Dallas County started the month of April in D3/Extreme drought conditions, while the rest of the county experienced D2/Severe drought conditions. However, by late April, only D2/Severe drought conditions were present across the county, and by the end of the month, all drought had been removed due to multiple rounds of precipitation.
Tarrant County started the month of April in D3/Extreme drought conditions, but by late April, only the southern half of the county had D3/Extreme drought, while the northern half had improved to D2/Severe drought. By the end of the month, only D2/Severe drought conditions persisted across the county due to multiple rounds of precipitation.
The northwest sections of Kaufman County started the month of April in D2/Severe drought conditions, but drought conditions were removed by late April due to multiple rounds of precipitation.
The northwest half of Ellis County started the month of April in D2/Severe drought conditions, but drought conditions disappeared by late April due to multiple rounds of precipitation.
Johnson County started the month of April in D3/Extreme drought conditions but improved to D2/Severe drought conditions by late April due to multiple rounds of precipitation. By the end of the month, the drought had improved further.
Most of Parker County started the month of April in D3/Extreme drought conditions. However, the northwestern quarter of the county experienced D4/Exceptional drought conditions. By the end of the month, only D2/Severe drought conditions were present across the county due to multiple rounds of precipitation.
Somervell County started the month of April in D3/Extreme drought conditions but had improved to D2/Severe drought conditions by late April due to multiple rounds of precipitation.
Hood County started the month of April in D3/Extreme drought conditions but had improved to D2/Severe drought conditions by late April due to multiple rounds of precipitation.
Palo Pinto County started the month of April in D4/Exceptional drought conditions, but the southeastern half of the county improved to D3/Extreme drought conditions by late April due to multiple rounds of precipitation.
Erath County started the month of April in D3/Extreme drought conditions, but by late April, most of the county had improved to D2/Severe drought due to multiple rounds of precipitation.
Most of Stephens County spent the month of April in D3/Extreme drought conditions.
The northeastern half of Comanche County started the month of April in D3/Extreme drought conditions while the rest of the county experienced D2/Severe drought. However, only D2/Severe drought conditions were present across the county by late April due to multiple rounds of precipitation.
The northern third of Hamilton County started the month of April in D3/Extreme drought conditions while the rest of the county experienced D2/Severe drought. However, by the end of the month, most of the county had improved to D2/Severe drought conditions due to multiple rounds of precipitation.
The northwest half of Hill County started the month of April in D2/Severe drought conditions, but drought conditions disappeared by late April due to multiple rounds of precipitation.
The northwestern third of Bosque County started the month of April in D3/Extreme drought conditions, while the rest of the county experienced D2/Severe drought conditions. By late April, drought conditions improved due to multiple rounds of precipitation, and only parts of the northwestern sections of the county had D2/Severe drought.
Most of Mills County spent the month of April under D2/Severe drought conditions.
The northwest half of Coryell County started the month of April in D2/Severe drought conditions, but drought conditions disappeared by late April due to multiple rounds of precipitation.
The northwest half of Lampasas County spent the month of April in D2/Severe drought conditions.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, April 2015
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: 572018, 572020, 572033, 572037, 572039, 572041, 572042, 572044, 572045, 572051, 572052, 572054, 572055, 572056, 572057, 572083, 572084, 573282, 573283, 573285, 573286, 573291, 573292, 573295, 573298.