A motocross rider was struck by lightning during a race in Wise County.
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The episode as NWS FWD wrote it up.
A motocross rider was struck by lightning during a race in Wise 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 Mar 16, 5:14 AM CST, 5 hours 16 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion...UPDATED National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 614 AM CDT Sat Mar 16 2024 ...New Short Term, Aviation... .SHORT TERM... /NEW/ Update: /The Weekend/ Lowered weekend highs both days 1-2 degrees, based of clouds, patchy fog, off/on rain and embedded storms, lack of near surface warm advection as well as insolation. Otherwise, just minor tweaks to winds, RH, etc. 05/Marty Previous Discussion: /This Weekend/ No significant changes to the current forecast on the early Saturday morning forecast through the remainder of the weekend. An expansive, detached and slow-moving upper low remains centered over the southern Great Basin in the vicinity of the Grand Canyon. This system will be slow to move with ensembles indicating a slow wobble to the southeast over Arizona by the end of the weekend. The Southern Plains will remain underneath the confluent juncture of both jet streams (northern and subtropical branches) thanks to an Omega blocking pattern over the western CONUS and deep longwave troughing from the Mississippi River Valley to the Atlantic Coast. So, what doesn't this slow evolving early Spring El Nino set up mean for our forecast area? Well, generally humid and mild set up with rounds of showers and embedded thunderstorms with temperatures remain at or just below normal. The more conducive environment for higher thunderstorm coverage versus just plain ole rain or showers will be underneath the sub-tropical branch of the jet stream. In this case, that will be primarily from those areas of Central Texas along and south of Hwy 84 which extends from Evant/Gatesville in the west, to Waco/Temple/Killeen on I-35 in the Central, to Fairfield and Palestine further east. The steepest mid level lapse rates will move northeast in advance of the increasing large-scale ascent and not juxtaposed. Still, the modest instability aloft should be enough for a rogue strong to severe storm or two producing gusty winds and hail by this afternoon. The latter being the more prevalent threat and impact as the somewhat cool and damp sub-cloud layer and surface will keep the majority of activity with only isolated potential for sub-severe storm wind gusts. In weather geek terms, our far southern counties will exist within a more "convective" environment and area of some training and locally heavy rainfall. WPC and SPC have this region within a Slight to Marginal risk for storm impacts, though not widespread and continuous. Further north across North Texas into southern Oklahoma, even cooler temperatures in the lower levels and weaker lapse rates should keep any rumbles of thunder random and isolated as we push into and through this Saturday afternoon. Though progressive, the movement of mid level impulses and associated localized heavy downpours does give one pause to not forget about short-fuse hydrologic impacts. Basin average rainfall totals (or best guess mean amounts around the 50th percentile) still gives North Texas an additional 0.50"-1.25" of rain through early this evening. Further south into Central Texas, periods of more "convective" rainfall containing higher rainfall rates and possible training indicate that areas south of I-20 and along/east of I-35 in eastern Central Texas are expected to receive between 1"-2" of mean rainfall with isolated 2"-3" or even possible 4" of rainfall between the Lower Brazos and Trinity/Sabine River basins. We'll definitely have our eyes on this part of the forecast area for the better potential for widespread minor flooding and street flooding, along with an instance (or two) of flash flooding. I expect these same river basins and flood control lakes along them will be quite busy again trying to time and adjust releases downstream to minimize impacts and keep any flooding impacts within the "minor" range. The continuing, multi-layer cloud canopies and periodic rain chances should maintain lower temperature diurnal ranges than advertised by the NBM and other models. This set up is in large part due to the periodic mid level impulses traversing the dual branches of the jet stream aloft. Additionally, low level moisture (GoM) and northeast transport aloft from the Pacific, thanks in part to the continuing planetary El Nino, are continuing to supply ample moisture. Modest northeasterly surface winds today backing northerly again by tonight and Sunday with another cool front will keep temperatures fairly consistent with lows primarily in the 50s and highs primarily in the upper 50s and 60s. The northerly winds behind this coming evening's cold front will be quite brisk and gusty at times moving into Sunday. 05/Marty && .LONG TERM... /Issued 244 AM CDT Sat Mar 16 2024/ /Next Week/ After multiple days of rainfall, the last week of astronomical winter will begin with cool but benign conditions as weak mid level ridging remains over West Texas. At the surface, broad high pressure (of Canadian origin) will build southward through the Central US reinforcing the seasonably cool airmass already in place. With highs generally in the lower 60s, Monday will be the coolest day of the week in most areas. Cold air advection in the wake of Sunday's reinforcing cold front and clear skies will push lows into the mid 30s to lower 40s by daybreak Tuesday. The surface high will reach the Central Gulf coast early Tuesday resulting in the return of southerly surface winds. In addition to gradual moisture recovery, temperatures will also trend warmer through the end of the work week with highs back in the 70s areawide on Thursday. By late Tuesday, the upstream blocking regime will finally begin to break down as the upper-level low over Arizona transitions into an open wave. The remnants of the weakening low, eventually becoming a modestly amplified wave, will lift through the Four Corners region on Wednesday and then emerge into the Plains by early Thursday. Induced cyclogenesis in the lee of the southern Rockies will lead to a slight uptick in wind speeds as the surface gradient tightens. Instability and moisture should be sufficient for scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms Wednesday and Thursday as the low and associated cold front push across the state. At this time the risk for severe weather appears low. This front will not carry the same cool down as we will see at the beginning of the next week with temperatures forecast to be at or slightly above seasonable values on Friday and into the weekend. 12 && .AVIATION... /NEW/ Update: /12z TAFs/ Only adjustment from the 06z TAFs discussion below was to delay the onset of MVFR cigs an hour or two just before 15z. Time of weather/SHRA/storms, as well as MVFR moving into IFR/brief LIFR still looks on track. 05/Marty Previous Discussion: /06z TAFs/ Another challenging day for aviation interests across the D10 airspace. Deteriorating weather conditions with widespread SHRA and embedded TSRA and lowering cigs are expected to occur later this morning and through the afternoon hours. Timing weather and cig trends is never easy in these large trough environments, thus confidence on timing isn't the best. VFR will continue in the immediate predawn hours thanks to light 925mb E flow around 10 kts. Eventually, the boundary layer will cool enough between 09z-12z for high MVFR cigs ABV 020 within the D10 airspace, before falling to low MVFR through mid morning. SHRA become widespread by midday with some embedded TSRA. It's at this time that IFR cigs will prevail and even couldn't rule out some patchy LIFR cigs through much of the afternoon before improving once again this evening back into low MVFR within the subsident region behind a departing mid level impulse. The cycle continues. Surface winds will generally be light, 10 kts or less, and prevail mostly from the N and NE through tonight. 05/Marty && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Dallas-Ft. Worth 63 58 67 47 62 / 100 80 30 5 0 Waco 66 60 66 48 62 / 100 90 50 10 0 Paris 66 57 66 42 58 / 90 100 10 0 0 Denton 61 55 64 42 61 / 100 70 20 5 0 McKinney 64 56 66 43 60 / 100 80 20 5 0 Dallas 65 59 67 47 62 / 100 80 30 5 0 Terrell 66 58 66 45 61 / 100 100 30 5 0 Corsicana 68 61 67 49 64 / 100 100 50 10 0 Temple 67 60 66 48 64 / 90 80 50 10 0 Mineral Wells 60 54 65 44 64 / 100 50 30 10 0 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. &&
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 245 AM CDT Sat Mar 16 2024 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-161200- 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- 245 AM CDT Sat Mar 16 2024 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for North and Central Texas. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Widespread showers with embedded thunderstorms expected across the entire region today. A few strong to severe storms may occur over parts of Central Texas capable of producing hail and gusty winds. Localized flooding issues may also develop in areas that have seen considerable rainfall in recent days. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. Thunderstorms will continue across Central Texas and portions of North Texas through Sunday afternoon. Severe weather is not anticipated. Additional storm chances will arrive around the middle of next week. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
The Dallas/Ft Worth radar (KFWS), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:28 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A 19-year-old male motocross rider was struck by lightning while racing at Oak Hill Raceway in Alvord. He survived with injuries.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, March 2024
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: 1170035.