Drought conditions continued across North and Central Texas through the month of February, with thirty-two of the forty-six counties experiencing drought during the month. The drought became more intense by the second week of February for areas near and northeast of the DFW metroplex.
Every event with a place to put it; 31 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 North and Central Texas through the month of February, with thirty-two of the forty-six counties experiencing drought during the month. The drought became more intense by the second week of February for areas near and northeast of the DFW metroplex. However, multiple rounds of winter precipitation during the end of the month helped alleviate some of the drought for this area towards the end of the period.
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 Jan 31, 11:20 PM CST, 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 1120 PM CST SAT JAN 31 2015 .AVIATION... ANOTHER BATCH OF LIGHT TO MODERATE SHOWERS WILL MOVE THROUGH THE METROPLEX THROUGH 8Z AND THEN RAIN POTENTIAL WILL DIMINISH. WILL CARRY JUST A MENTION OF VCSH FROM 8-12Z. GENERALLY IFR CIGS HAVE SETTLED IN OVER THE TAF SITES NOW AND WHILE LIFR MAY BE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT WILL ONLY MENTION THIS POSSIBILITY AT WACO. VEERING WINDS FROM SOUTHEAST TO SOUTHWEST SHOULD HELP KEEP VSBY ABOVE IFR AND ALSO MAY CAUSE CIGS TO LIFT TO MVFR AROUND SUNRISE AHEAD OF THE FRONT. FRONT IS EXPECTED IN METROPLEX AROUND 15Z WITH ANY ADDITIONAL SHOWERS LIKELY DEVELOPING SOUTHEAST OF TAF SITES. MVFR CIGS WILL PREVAIL BEHIND THE FRONT INTO THE EARLY-MID AFTERNOON HOURS AS N/NW WINDS INCREASE TO 20G30KT. CLOUDS WILL CLEAR DURING THE AFTERNOON BUT THE STRONG WINDS WILL PERSIST INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. TR.92 && .UPDATE... FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT...IT APPEARS THAT MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION ACROSS NORTH TEXAS WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SHORTWAVE DIVING SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE PLAINS. MEANWHILE...THE UPPER LOW OVER NORTHERN MEXICO WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE ISOLATED CONVECTION OVER SOUTHWEST TEXAS AS IT DRIFTS FARTHER SOUTH AND FARTHER AWAY. SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO SHIFT EAST ACROSS NORTH TEXAS DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...WITH BETTER RAIN CHANCES THE FARTHER NORTH YOU GO. WE HAVE DECREASED POPS SIGNIFICANTLY OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE REGION WHERE MOST PRECIPITATION HAS ENDED /THE 40 POPS WERE KEPT IN ANTICIPATION OF SOME OF THE SHOWERS OVER WEST-CENTRAL TEXAS APPROACHING AFTER MIDNIGHT/. THE PROSPECTS FOR CONVECTION ALSO APPEAR TO BE MINIMAL AND THUNDER HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE OVERNIGHT GRID PERIODS. OTHERWISE...TEMPERATURES SHOULD HOLD STEADY OR SLOWLY CLIMB AS WARM ADVECTION PERSISTS AHEAD OF THE THE COLD FRONT EXPECTED SUNDAY. 30 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 306 PM CST SAT JAN 31 2015/ A LARGE UPPER LOW OVER NORTHWEST MEXICO AND CA/AZ WILL CONTINUE TO EASE EASTWARD TOWARD THE WEST TEXAS BIG BEND TONIGHT...THEN STALL AS IT BECOMES DETACHED FROM STRONGER WESTERLIES TO THE NORTH. IN ADDITION...A STRONG SHORTWAVE WILL CONTINUE RACING SOUTHEAST FROM THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AND OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. WAA AND MOISTURE ADVECTION AT 850MB WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT IN ADVANCE OF THESE TWO SYSTEMS AS NOTED BY THE 8-10 DEG/C 850MB DEW POINTS OVER SOUTH TEXAS MOVING NORTHWARD. A GOOD MID LEVEL FETCH OF PACIFIC MOISTURE WILL OCCUR BETWEEN 700-500MB IN ADVANCE OF A DRY SLOT NOTED EAST OF THE UPPER LOW OVER WEST TEXAS. LIGHT RAIN IS EXPECTED TO FALL ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION TONIGHT INTO EARLY SUNDAY. OCCASIONAL POCKETS OF EMBEDDED THUNDER AND BRIEF MODERATE RAINFALL MAY OCCUR ACROSS CENTRAL TEXAS WHERE THE DRY SLOT AND INCREASING MID LEVEL INSTABILITY ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR IN ADVANCE OF A COLD FRONT ARRIVING ON SUNDAY. WE HAVE ONLY INTRODUCED ISOLATED THUNDER SOUTH OF I-20...BUT IF THE DRY SLOT PUSHES FURTHER NORTH THAN EXPECTED... THEN THE FORECAST MAY NEED TO BE AMENDED OVERNIGHT. LIGHTNING STRIKES WOULD BE THE ONLY CONCERN WITH MARGINAL ELEVATED INSTABILITY AND RELATIVELY STABLE LOW LEVELS. AS WE HEAD THROUGH THE DAY SUNDAY...A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL SWEEP THROUGH MUCH OF THE AREA BRINGING BRISK NORTH WINDS AND COLDER TEMPERATURES SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING. BY THIS TIME...THE SOUTHWEST UPPER LOW WILL RETROGRADE TOWARD WESTERN MEXICO IN WAKE OF THE EXITING CENTRAL U.S SHORTWAVE. RAIN CHANCES ARE EXPECTED TO END WELL BEFORE FREEZING TEMPERATURES OCCUR ACROSS THE NORTHWEST AREAS MONDAY MORNING. HIGHS MONDAY WILL REMAIN ON THE COLD SIDE AND ONLY IN THE 40S AS A COLD SURFACE HIGH SETTLES ACROSS THE PLAINS AND MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. SOUTH WINDS READILY RETURN ONCE AGAIN MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY WITH THE DEPARTURE OF THE COLD HIGH PRESSURE DOME AND PRESSURE FALLS TO OUR WEST. TEMPERATURES BOTH TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY MORNINGS WILL NOT BE QUITE AS COLD AND MOSTLY ABOVE FREEZING...WHILE AFTERNOON HIGHS MODERATE BACK INTO THE 50S EAST TO THE 60S WEST. THE LARGE SCALE WESTERLY FLOW DOES AMPLIFY BY MID WEEK AND BEGINS TO OPEN UP THE UPPER LOW OVER MEXICO AND TRACK IT EAST TOWARD SOUTH AND CENTRAL TEXAS ON WEDNESDAY. THE BROAD YET RELATIVELY WEAK ISENTROPIC LIFT FROM THIS SYSTEM WILL CREEP AS FAR NORTH AS CENTRAL TEXAS. HAVE INCREASED RAIN CHANCES SLIGHTLY ACROSS OUR CENTRAL COUNTIES WHILE KEEPING OUR NORTHERN COUNTIES COOL AND DRY. ANY RAINFALL ACROSS CENTRAL TEXAS WILL BE ON THE LIGHT SIDE DUE TO MOISTURE QUALITY NOT BEING VERY RICH. THE NEXT COLD FRONT ARRIVES BY THURSDAY MORNING IN WAKE OF THE SOUTH TEXAS UPPER TROUGH MOVING EAST OVER THE CENTRAL GULF COAST STATES. EXPECT ANOTHER COLD AND DRY DAY ON THURSDAY WITH TEMPERATURES IN THE 40S ONCE AGAIN AND BRISK NORTH WINDS. ANOTHER SURFACE HIGH SETTLES IN THURSDAY NIGHT WITH NEAR FREEZING TEMPERATURES ONCE AGAIN BY SUNRISE FRIDAY MORNING. THE COLD AIR DOES NOT STAY FOR LONG AS RIDGING ALOFT AND THE RETURN OF SOUTH WINDS BRING A WARM UP BACK INTO THE 60S FOR NEXT WEEKEND. 05/ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX 49 58 30 44 35 / 90 50 0 0 0 WACO, TX 53 63 32 47 34 / 80 40 5 0 0 PARIS, TX 46 57 27 42 30 / 90 70 0 0 0 DENTON, TX 47 56 28 44 32 / 90 40 0 0 0 MCKINNEY, TX 49 56 28 43 31 / 90 60 0 0 0 DALLAS, TX 51 58 30 44 35 / 90 60 0 0 0 TERRELL, TX 49 62 29 44 32 / 90 70 5 0 0 CORSICANA, TX 54 63 31 45 34 / 80 60 5 0 0 TEMPLE, TX 53 63 33 48 35 / 70 40 10 0 0 MINERAL WELLS, TX 46 53 28 46 33 / 80 30 0 0 0 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && /
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 1031 PM CST SAT JAN 31 2015 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-020445- 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- 1031 PM CST SAT JAN 31 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE IN AREAS SOUTH OF THE I-20 CORRIDOR ON SUNDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
31 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Nearly all of Montague County spent the month in D2/Severe drought conditions.
The southern half of Grayson County spent the month in D2/Severe drought conditions, but some improvement was noted near the end of the month after several rounds of winter precipitation.
The southern half of Fannin County spent the month in D2/Severe drought conditions, but some improvement was noted near the end of the month after several rounds of winter precipitation.
The southwestern portion of Lamar County spent the month in D2/Severe drought conditions, but some improvement was noted near the end of the month after several rounds of winter precipitation.
The far southern portions of Cooke County spent most of the month in D2/Severe drought conditions, but some improvement was noted near the end of the month after several rounds of winter precipitation.
Most of Delta County spent the month in D2/Severe drought conditions, but some improvement was noted near the end of the month after several rounds of winter precipitation.
The far northwestern portions of Hopkins County spent the month in D2/Severe drought conditions, but some improvement was noted near the end of the month after several rounds of winter precipitation.
Nearly all of Hunt County spent the month in D2/Severe drought conditions.
Nearly all of Collin County spent the month in D3/Extreme drought conditions, but, except for the southwestern portions of the county, the area saw improvement to D2/Severe drought conditions near the end of the month due to multiple rounds of winter precipitation.
The northern half of Denton County started the month in D2/Severe drought conditions, while the southern half started in D3/Extreme drought conditions. However, the northern half worsened to D3/Extreme drought conditions by the second week. By the end of the month, the northern half of the county saw improvement to D2/Severe drought conditions due to multiple rounds of winter precipitation, but the southern half remained in D3/Extreme drought conditions.
The northern portions of Wise County started the month in D2/Severe drought conditions, while the southern sectons started in D3/Extreme drought conditions. However, the northern half worsened to D3/Extreme drought conditions and the southern portions worsened to D4/Exception drought by the second week. By the end of the month, most of the southern half of the county saw improvement to D3/Extreme drought conditions due to multiple rounds of winter precipitation.
The northern half of Jack County spent the month in D3/Extreme drought conditions, while the southern half spend the month in D4/Exceptional drought conditions.
The northern half of Young County spent the month in D3/Extreme drought conditions, while the southern half spend the month in D4/Exceptional drought conditions.
The far western portions of Stephens County spent the month in D2/Severe drought conditions, but the central parts experienced D3/Extreme drought conditions. The far eastern areas spend the month in D4/Exceptional drought conditions.
Nearly all of Palo Pinto County spent the month in D4/Exceptional drought conditions.
The northeastern portions of Parker County started the month in D3/Extreme drought conditions, while the rest of the county was in D4/Exceptional drought. By the second week, all areas of the county were in D4/Exceptional drought and stayed there through the remainder of the month.
The majority of Tarrant County started the month in D3/Extreme drought conditions, with the far southwestern areas under D4/Exceptional drought. By the second week, all areas of the county were in D4/Exceptional drought and stayed there through the remainder of the month.
The majority of Dallas County started the month under D3/Extreme drought conditions. By the second week, northwestern areas of the county worsened to D4/Exceptional drought. By the end of the month, all areas were under D3/Extreme drought conditions after multiple rounds of winter precipitation affected the area.
Nearly all of Rockwall County started the month in D2/Severe drought conditions. By the second week, the western areas were under D3/Extreme drought conditions. By the end of the month, all areas returned to D2/Severe drought conditions after multiple rounds of winter precipitation affected the area.
The western half of Navarro County spent the month in D2/Severe drought conditions.
The far northwestern portions of Ellis County spent the month in D3/Extreme drought conditions, while the rest of the county was under D2/Severe drought conditions.
The majority of Johnson County started the month in D3/Extreme drought conditions, but the far northwestern areas were under D4/Exceptional drought. By the end of the month, all areas of the county were in D3/Extreme drought after multiple rounds of winter precipitation affected the area.
Hood County started the month under D4/Exceptional drought conditions but saw improvement to D3/Extreme drought by the end of the month after multiple rounds of winter precipitation affected the area.
Somervell County spent most of the month in D3/Extreme drought conditions but saw improvement to D2/Severe drought by the end of the month after multiple rounds of winter precipitation affected the area.
Nearly all of Erath County spent most of the month in D3/Extreme drought conditions, but the southern half saw improvement to D2/Severe drought by the end of the month after multiple rounds of winter precipitation affected the area.
Nearly all of Comanche County spent the month in D2/Severe drought conditions.
Most of the eastern portions of Eastland County spent the month in D2/Severe drought conditions, with the far northeastern areas experiencing D3/Extreme drought conditions.
Nearly all of Hill County spent the month in D2/Severe drought conditions.
The northern third of Hamilton County spent the month in D2/Severe drought conditions.
The northern half of Bosque County spent the month in D2/Severe drought conditions.
By the second week of February, the western portions of Kaufman County were 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, February 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: 563377, 563378, 563379, 563912, 563913, 563914, 563915, 563916, 563917, 563921, 563923, 563924, 563925, 563928, 563933, 563940, 563942, 563944, 563946, 563952, 563955, 563957, 563960, 563961, 563963, 563964, 563965, 563970, 563973, 563974, 563949.