A cold front was draped across north central Texas on the afternoon of March 20th. Showers and a few thunderstorms developed along the front, with areas of Delta and Hopkins Counties receiving locally heavy rainfall.
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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 cold front was draped across north central Texas on the afternoon of March 20th. Showers and a few thunderstorms developed along the front, with areas of Delta and Hopkins Counties receiving locally heavy rainfall.
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 20, 11:46 AM CST, 1 hour 39 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 1246 PM CDT FRI MAR 20 2015 .AVIATION... FOR THE 18Z TAFS...IFR OR LOW MVFR CEILINGS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE VALID FORECAST PERIOD. ON AND OFF RAIN AND THUNDERSTORM CHANCES ARE THE PRIMARY FORECAST CHALLENGE. A WEAK COLD FRONT PUSHED SOUTH ACROSS THE REGION OVERNIGHT AND STALLED OUT OVER CENTRAL TEXAS. THIS HAS LEFT MUCH OF NORTH AND CENTRAL TEXAS UNDER IFR CONDITIONS DUE TO CLOUD HEIGHTS AT AROUND 800 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL. WIDESPREAD RAIN SHOWER ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST THROUGH THIS EVENING ACROSS NORTH TEXAS. WILL HAVE TO AMEND TAFS IF/WHEN AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES AREA AIRPORTS...HOWEVER THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN ISOLATED THROUGH TOMORROW AFTERNOON. EXPECT A BREAK IN THE WIDESPREAD RAIN SHOWER ACTIVITY BY LATE THIS EVENING. RAIN SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME MORE ISOLATED IN NATURE AFTER AROUND 01Z. RAIN MAY STILL IMPACT AREA TAF SITES...HOWEVER THE CHANCES WERE TOO SMALL TO CONTINUE TO CARRY PRECIPITATION IN THE TAFS OVERNIGHT. WIDESPREAD RAIN SHOWER ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO SPREAD FROM SOUTH TO NORTH FROM CENTRAL TEXAS TO NORTH TEXAS BEGINNING LATE TOMORROW MORNING. WIDESPREAD RAIN SHOWERS ARE MOST LIKELY TO BUILD BACK OVER THE DFW AREA AROUND OR AFTER 00Z TOMORROW. EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS WILL NEED TO BE HANDLED WITH AMENDMENTS AS THE COVERAGE OF STORMS WILL LIKELY REMAIN AT AROUND 20 PERCENT TOMORROW AFTERNOON/EVENING. CAVANAUGH && .UPDATE... ELEVATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP AND MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS NORTH TEXAS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AS PACIFIC MOISTURE STREAMS NORTHWARD OVER A WEDGE OF COOL AIR NEAR THE SURFACE. TEMPERATURES ALOFT ARE COLD ENOUGH TO SUPPORT IN-CLOUD ICE/LIGHTNING. SMALL HAIL WILL ALSO ACCOMPANY SOME OF THE STRONGER CORES. FOR THIS UPDATE WILL ADJUST POPS UP IN THE WEST BASED ON RADAR TRENDS AND LOWER POPS A BIT IN THE SOUTHEAST SINCE THE BEST LARGE SCALE LIFT WILL NOT ARRIVE UNTIL LATER TODAY/TONIGHT WHEN THE UPPER LOW STARTS TO LIFT NORTHEAST. THE CURRENT FLASH FLOOD WATCH STILL LOOKS GOOD SINCE THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL TONIGHT/SATURDAY MORNING SHOULD SHIFT TO THE SOUTH. 79 && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 356 AM CDT FRI MAR 20 2015/ NORTH TEXAS WILL HAVE ANOTHER 48 HOURS OF CLOUDY WEATHER WITH PERIODS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS PARTICULARLY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA. A COLD FRONT IS CURRENTLY MOVING THROUGH THE REGION AND IS LOCATED ALONG A LINE FROM COMANCHE TO HILLSBORO TO CANTON. THE FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SOUTH THROUGH THE AREA TODAY. NORTH OF THE FRONT...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE ONGOING IN AN AREA OF MODERATE WARM ADVECTION WHICH IS CURRENTLY MAXIMIZED NEAR THE RED RIVER. THE COVERAGE OF THESE SHOWERS SHOULD DIMINISH THROUGH MID MORNING AS THE WARM ADVECTION TAPERS OFF. POPS WILL BE RATHER HIGH TODAY AS WE ARE LIKELY TO SEE A GOOD COVERAGE OF SPOTTY SHOWERS ALONG AND JUST BEHIND THE FRONT AS IT MOVES SOUTH...BUT QPF AMOUNTS ARENT LIKELY TO BE ALL THAT HIGH UNTIL LATER THIS EVENING MAINLY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA. THE COLD FRONT SHOULD CONTINUE INTO CENTRAL TEXAS BY THIS EVENING BEFORE STALLING OUT. AS IT DOES...A LARGE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH CURRENTLY OVER BAJA CALIFORNIA WILL BEGIN TO EJECT EASTWARD. THIS WILL SPREAD LARGE SCALE HEIGHT FALLS ACROSS SOUTH AND CENTRAL TEXAS LATE TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY. WIDESPREAD SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG AND NORTH OF THE STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY DURING THIS TIME. WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES INCREASING TO 1.5 TO 1.7 INCHES...WHICH IS QUITE HIGH FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE LIKELY NEAR THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. WHILE THE SURFACE FRONT MAY BE JUST SOUTH OF OUR AREA...THE 850MB FRONT WILL BE DRAPED ACROSS OUR SOUTHEAST COUNTIES. THIS AREA SHOULD BE POSITIONED FAVORABLY FOR A CONTINUED STREAM OF WARM MOIST ADVECTION LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. THE UPPER LOW WILL PASS ACROSS NORTH TEXAS SATURDAY EVENING WITH THE STRONGEST FORCING FOR ASCENT DURING THIS TIME. GIVEN THE LIKELIHOOD OF SEVERAL HOURS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL...WE HAVE DECIDED TO ISSUE A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR OUR FAR SOUTHEAST COUNTIES FROM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES ARE LIKELY WITH LOCALLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF 4 INCHES ACROSS THE FAR SOUTHEAST COUNTIES. LIGHTER AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED FARTHER NORTH. THE UPPER LOW WILL PULL AWAY FROM THE AREA ON SUNDAY WITH PRECIPITATION ENDING FROM WEST TO EAST. NORTH TEXAS WILL REMAIN BENEATH WEAK SHORTWAVE RIDGING THROUGH MID WEEK NEXT WEEK WITH TEMPERATURES WARMING INTO THE UPPER 70S AND LOWER 80S. ANOTHER COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TOWARD THE END OF NEXT WEEK WITH ADDITIONAL RAIN CHANCES. DUNN && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX 68 55 68 55 70 / 60 30 50 50 20 WACO, TX 69 57 67 57 72 / 80 80 70 60 20 PARIS, TX 65 54 65 52 65 / 70 30 60 60 30 DENTON, TX 62 53 67 55 68 / 70 30 30 40 20 MCKINNEY, TX 64 53 66 54 68 / 60 30 50 50 20 DALLAS, TX 68 56 67 56 69 / 60 30 50 50 20 TERRELL, TX 66 56 68 55 69 / 60 50 60 60 20 CORSICANA, TX 68 57 66 56 71 / 70 70 70 60 20 TEMPLE, TX 70 57 67 57 74 / 80 90 80 70 20 MINERAL WELLS, TX 64 52 67 54 70 / 70 30 30 40 10 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING FOR TXZ147-148-158- 160>162-174-175. && /
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 341 AM CDT FRI MAR 20 2015 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-210845- 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- 341 AM CDT FRI MAR 20 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TONIGHT. NO SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED...BUT STORMS WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING STRIKES. RAINFALL MAY BE HEAVY ENOUGH TO CAUSE FLASH FLOODING ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM KILLEEN TO PALESTINE WHERE A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. RAINFALL MAY BE HEAVY ENOUGH TO CAUSE FLASH FLOODING ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM KILLEEN TO PALESTINE WHERE A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. THERE WILL BE ANOTHER CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The Dallas/Ft Worth radar (KFWS), 172 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:26 UTC.
1 flood, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Cooper Police reported high water over the roadway on Texas State Highway 24. Highway 24 was closed near Cooper due to the high water.
Texas Department of Highways reported that low water crossings just southwest of Fairlie were flooded.
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, March 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: 557375, 568190.