A sharp upper trough and a meandering surface front generated two rounds of thunderstorms across the region, one round on May 5 and the other on May 6. Most of the severe weather took place on the 6th, when large hail, damaging winds, and a few tornadoes occurred.
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.
A sharp upper trough and a meandering surface front generated two rounds of thunderstorms across the region, one round on May 5 and the other on May 6. Most of the severe weather took place on the 6th, when large hail, damaging winds, and a few tornadoes occurred. A total of 5 tornadoes were surveyed in the far southeast parts of the County Warning Area: two EF-0s and three EF-1s. The strongest tornado had winds up to 105 mph and moved through Jewett in Leon 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 May 5, 11:13 AM CST, 58 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 1213 PM CDT Mon May 5 2025 ...New Short Term, Aviation... .KEY MESSAGES... - Scattered showers and thunderstorms will continue through the afternoon. Some small hail will be possible. - Widespread showers and storms along with some severe weather and instances of flash flooding is expected across the region on Tuesday. - An unsettled pattern will continue through the end of the week. && .SHORT TERM... /NEW/ /This Afternoon through Tuesday Night/ Scattered elevated thunderstorms continue to move through North Texas late this morning and will continue to pose mainly a lightning and small hail threat into the afternoon. Additional scattered thunderstorms have developed in Central TX along a quasi-stationary frontal boundary. All of this activity is ahead of a strong shortwave trough which will swing through on Tuesday. Broad forcing for ascent and a potent band of mid level warm moist advection has yielded an environment favorable for elevated thunderstorms with around 500 J/kg of MUCAPE. This initial wave of ascent is expected to pull off to the northeast later this afternoon, so after an uptick in coverage through the next few hours, we should see activity decrease this evening. Farther to the west, we'll see deep convection develop across far West Texas late this evening. This activity will eventually spread east tonight and approach our western counties by early Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, a stationary frontal boundary draped across Central TX will lift northward as a warm front through the early morning hours. There's a little uncertainty as to how far north this boundary will lift as a messy convective mode is likely to be ongoing. Clusters of thunderstorms may inhibit its northward movement through outflow/cold pool interactions, but a general northward transition is expected through the mid morning hours. There will be an initial large hail/damaging wind threat during the morning hours with any ongoing thunderstorms, particularly across our west/southwest counties, however, as we go through the morning and into early afternoon, the atmosphere will become increasingly unstable to the south of the front. Strong surface based instability and low level turning of the wind profile will support rotating updrafts and an increasing tornado potential. This threat will gradually spread north out of Central TX toward the I-20 corridor by mid afternoon, staying generally east of I-35. Coverage of additional storm development to the south of the front in the warm sector may be a little more scattered though the afternoon. Despite the messy convective mode and uncertainty regarding the position of the warm front, any storms that are ongoing in the vicinity of the frontal boundary will pose a threat for all modes of severe weather given the strong wind fields. This could include embedded tornadoes within clusters of storms outside of any discrete activity. Areas north of I-20 and closer to the Red River would generally have to contend with a hail threat. PoPs will remain near 100% for all areas tomorrow with a rapid ending of the precip from west to east during the late afternoon/evening. Any lingering showers/storms across our far eastern counties should move out of the area after dark. Dunn && .LONG TERM... /Issued 344 AM CDT Mon May 5 2025/ /Tuesday Evening through the Weekend/ Rain chances will continue each day through Friday with an unsettled pattern sticking around, followed by drier weather this weekend into early next week. Near or slightly below temperatures are expected to prevail with highs in the 70s/low 80s and overnight lows mostly in the 50s. Tuesday's activity will be exiting east by the evening hours with some lingering rain/storm chances across East Texas, but it should be a quiet night overall in the wake of the earlier, more active weather. For Wednesday, low rain chances will linger across Central Texas (20-40%) and along the Red River (20%), but most areas will stay dry. The weak frontal boundary and plenty of remaining moisture will be situated to the south, towards the Gulf coast on Wednesday. Coverage should remain low, but this could allow for a few showers and storms to develop primarily in the southern half of Central Texas, with the better chances remaining outside of the forecast area. Conditions are not overly favorable for severe weather, but there may also be a strong storm or two if something develops. With the slow movement of the upper trough through the Southern Plains and remaining moisture across the region, the Red River also have lingering PoPs on Wednesday as additional moisture wraps around the low pressure system across OK/KS. Better rain chances for the Red River and farther south through North Texas will exist on Thursday and Friday (~30-50% both days), but there remains uncertainty in when the almost entirely cutoff, weakening upper low will finally be absorbed into the northern stream flow and shunted further eastward. Regardless, additional chances for showers and storms return to end the week as embedded disturbances round the base of upper trough in the NW flow aloft, which will result in additional lift overhead particularly late Wednesday night into Thursday and potentially again Friday. Better instability looks to develop Thursday, with more notable moisture available to work with as well. While not impressive by any means, we will have to monitor the potential for severe weather during this time as there is a low chance for strong to marginally severe storms with this activity. Apart from the lingering rain chances, the slow transition of the upper trough will make temperatures slow to moderate across the region. DFW's normal high temperature May 7th-11th is 81-82 degrees, and the current forecast is for highs to be about 5 to 6 degrees below that through the weekend, before finally starting to climb back into the 80s. For Waco, the normal high temperature is 83-84 during this timeframe, and the forecast has ACT similarly around 5 to 7 degrees cooler during this time. Not the most riveting tidbit of information, but we will take what we can get since above normal temperatures are favored for the latter half of the month, and summer will also be here before we know it. Gordon && .AVIATION... /NEW/ /18Z TAFs/ Showers and thunderstorms are entering the D10 airspace now and will likely track over the major airports in the next 1-2 hours with additional storms expected through mid afternoon before activity starts to taper off. All of this activity is elevated (falling out of cloud bases between 5-10 kft) and will pose a gusty wind and small hail threat along with frequent lightning. VFR cigs should continue to prevail although vis will likely drop in the heavier precipitation. This activity will move off to the north and east through the afternoon with a relative lull in activity expected this evening/tonight. We'll prevail -TSRA for this activity this afternoon with a TEMPO for lower vis and some gusty winds through about 21Z. VFR should prevail through the evening with reductions in cigs expected late tonight. Additional showers/storms will likely arrive 8-10Z and continue through midday Tuesday. Later tonight, additional showers and thunderstorms are expected to move out of West Texas and will approach the region during the morning hours. Coverage of storms will be high again with some potential for severe weather. MVFR/IFR cigs/vis will also be possible through the day Tuesday. Dunn && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Dallas-Ft. Worth 73 62 74 61 80 / 80 40 100 10 10 Waco 74 63 79 62 79 / 80 60 100 5 20 Paris 75 58 67 60 77 / 20 20 100 40 20 Denton 71 59 69 57 79 / 80 40 100 20 10 McKinney 74 60 71 59 78 / 60 30 100 20 10 Dallas 74 63 75 62 81 / 80 40 100 10 10 Terrell 73 61 73 61 79 / 70 40 100 20 20 Corsicana 74 63 76 64 81 / 80 60 100 10 20 Temple 73 62 82 62 82 / 80 60 100 10 30 Mineral Wells 69 60 76 57 81 / 100 60 100 5 10 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Flood Watch from Tuesday morning through late Tuesday night for TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-134-135-146>148-161-162-175. &&
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Fort Worth TX
943 AM CDT Mon May 5 2025
TXZ115-129-051515-
Stephens TX-Eastland TX-
943 AM CDT Mon May 5 2025
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northern Eastland
and southern Stephens Counties through 1015 AM CDT...
At 943 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Lake Cisco, or near Cisco, moving northeast at 40 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and penny size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
This strong thunderstorm will be near...
Lake Cisco and Cisco around 950 AM CDT.
Gunsight around 1000 AM CDT.
Other locations impacted by this storm include Morton Valley, Nimrod,
Pleasant Hill, Staff, Scranton, Eolian, Olden, and Harpersville.
This includes Interstate 20 between mile markers 324 and 355.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3251 9911 3252 9910 3264 9910 3278 9875
3274 9858 3252 9858 3231 9866 3224 9912
TIME...MOT...LOC 1443Z 236DEG 34KT 3240 9906
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
DunnSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Fort Worth TX
1106 AM CDT Mon May 5 2025
TXZ100-115-051630-
Stephens TX-Young TX-
1106 AM CDT Mon May 5 2025
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southern Young and
northern Stephens Counties through 1130 AM CDT...
At 1106 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Crystal Falls, or near Breckenridge, moving northeast at 50 mph.
HAZARD...Penny size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible.
This strong thunderstorm will be near...
Crystal Falls around 1110 AM CDT.
Other locations impacted by this storm include Ivan, Eliasville,
Newcastle, Murray, and South Bend.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3296 9900 3296 9895 3302 9895 3322 9878
3307 9842 3304 9843 3295 9848 3295 9858
3281 9858 3279 9859 3271 9890 3285 9909
TIME...MOT...LOC 1606Z 225DEG 45KT 3283 9892
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...<30 MPH
DunnSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Fort Worth TX
1109 AM CDT Mon May 5 2025
TXZ131-051645-
Hood TX-
1109 AM CDT Mon May 5 2025
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of Hood County through
1145 AM CDT...
At 1109 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Lipan, or 11 miles west of Granbury, moving east at 35 mph.
HAZARD...Penny size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible.
This strong thunderstorm will be near...
Oak Trail Shores around 1115 AM CDT.
Granbury around 1120 AM CDT.
Other locations impacted by this storm include Mambrino, Tolar, Lake
Granbury, Acton, Stockton Bend, Waples, DeCordova, and Cresson.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3256 9805 3255 9762 3237 9762 3227 9796
3251 9807 3255 9807
TIME...MOT...LOC 1609Z 256DEG 29KT 3245 9798
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...<30 MPH
DunnSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Fort Worth TX
1234 PM CDT Mon May 5 2025
TXZ133-134-145-051800-
Ellis TX-Hill TX-Johnson TX-
1234 PM CDT Mon May 5 2025
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of east central
Johnson, north central Hill and western Ellis Counties through 100 PM
CDT...
At 1233 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Maypearl, or 13 miles southeast of Alvarado, moving east at 55 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and penny size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
This strong thunderstorm will be near...
Maypearl around 1240 PM CDT.
Waxahachie around 1245 PM CDT.
Ennis around 1250 PM CDT.
Bardwell Lake around 1255 PM CDT.
Other locations impacted by this storm include Reagor Springs, Ike,
Avalon, Griffith, Rockett, Forreston, Osceola, Howard, Five Points,
and Garrett.
This includes the following highways...
Interstate 35W between mile markers 6 and 25.
Interstate 35E between mile markers 383 and 405.
Interstate 45 between mile markers 252 and 263.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3219 9665 3211 9727 3222 9724 3239 9729
3251 9662 3221 9661
TIME...MOT...LOC 1733Z 256DEG 49KT 3226 9707
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
DunnThe Dallas/Ft Worth radar (KFWS), 41 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:09 UTC.
20 hail, 13 flash flood, 6 thunderstorm wind, 5 tornado, 3 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck a house in Colleyville causing a fire and injuring 3 people.
A home was struck by lightning near Monte Carlo Dr at Le Mans Ln in Southlake causing significant damage to the roof.
Facebook report of large amounts of quarter size hail on CR 215.
Half dollar and larger sized hail was reported in the Hubbard Creek area via Facebook.
Half dollar sized hail was reported near Cross Plains. The location was estimated based on radar.
Report from mPING: Dime (0.75 in.).
Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00 in.).
Report from mPING: Half Dollar (1.25 in.).
Emergency manager reported 1 inch hail in Roanoke.
Report from mPING: Dime (0.75 in.).
Photo on X showed up to quarter size hail in Argyle.
Report from mPING: Dime (0.75 in.).
Quarter sized hail was reported at the Denton Public Library North Branch.
Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00 in.).
Report from mPING: River/Creek overflowing; Cropland/Yard/Basement Flooding.
Social media image of hail around 1.5 inches in Bardwell.
Spotter reported 1 inch hail in Garland.
Report from mPING: Street/road flooding; Street/road closed; Vehicles stranded.
Social media picture of half dollar sized hail in North Garland.
Social media report of 1.5 inch hail around HWY 78 and 5th street in Sachse.
Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00 in.).
A member of the public reported 1 inch hail in Sachse.
Report from mPING: Half Dollar (1.25 in.).
Report from mPING: Street/road flooding; Street/road closed; Vehicles stranded.
Report from mPING: Ping Pong Ball (1.50 in.).
Report from mPING: Street/road flooding; Street/road closed; Vehicles stranded.
Report from mPING: Street/road flooding; Street/road closed; Vehicles stranded.
A home was struck by lightning on West Milas Lane in Glenn Heights. The roof sustained damage in the resulting fire.
Man was rescued by first responders from submerged vehicle in private driveway off Battle Lake Rd near Mart.
Report from mPING: Street/road flooding; Street/road closed; Vehicles stranded.
Media photos and video showed significant flooding in and around Airville with most roads underwater.
An EF-0 tornado formed southeast of Cameron approximately at the State Highway 36 bridge over the Little River. Substantial tree damage was noted in this vicinity, as well as some minor outbuilding damage. The tornado moved northeast, producing intermittent tree damage and light outbuilding damage as it paralleled Milam County Road 229 for a couple of miles before crossing County Roads 228 and 227. The tornado continued northeast beyond CR 227, producing additional damage to large tree branches and trunks. Some isolated damage to a recreational vehicle and some outbuildings also occurred along this eastern portion of the track. The tornado eventually reached FM 485 near its intersection with Hart Creek in eastern Milam County. The tornado dissipated in an open field immediately east of FM 485. Damage along the entire length of the track was consistent with estimated windspeeds of 65 to 75 mph, with a small number of trees exhibiting damage consistent with slightly higher EF-0 speeds of 75 to 85 mph.
Emergency manager reported street flooding with water level above the bottom of a car in Marlin.
A social media video showed water running over roadways in Corsicana.
Social media video showed significant flash flooding around the Piggly Wiggly in Athens.
Social media picture of water covering roadway in Hearne as of 1:56 PM.
An EF-0 tornado touched down just west of Henry Prairie Rd south of Franklin and moved northeast across FM 46 and McNutt Road before lifting near Old Hickory Grove Road. Several trees and large tree limbs were blown down along the path, with minor damage to a few homes and outbuildings. Max winds were estimated at 80 mph.
The Limestone County Emergency manager relayed a spotter report of a tree blocking the road at LCR 420 east of Groesbeck.
Facebook photos showed two large barns with roofs blown off and one shop with overhead doors partially blown in on FM 1469 near PR 3550 north of Marquez.
The Limestone County Emergency Manager reported a tree blocking the road on HWY 164 and FM 1953 east of Groesbeck.
The Limestone County Emergency Manager relayed a report from dispatch that a large oak tree was blocking the road on LCR 800 near Personville.
An EF-1 tornado touched down west of Jewett near CR 336 and Division Street, and moved east-southeast through the town before traveling east several miles outside of town. In Jewett, several trees were damaged or blown down and some homes suffered roof and minor exterior damage on Harrison Street, Dashiel Street, and Broadway Street. The worst damage occurred along Hwy 79 where an auto repair shop lost its roof, and east of Hwy 79 where many trees were snapped and uprooted near Robinson Lane. This area was rated EF-1 with 105 mph max winds. Visually, tree damage could be seen extending east of Robinson Lane, but the area was inaccessible to the survey team. However, satellite imagery provided additional information to extend the track farther east of town.
On the south end of Jewett, outside the tornado track, large tree limbs were broken and some trees were uprooted.
A second tornado occurred in Leon County, southeast of Buffalo and west of Flo. The tornado likely began west of US 75 and north of CR 305. Several large trees were damaged on a property in this area, and additional tree damage could be seen on the east side of the Highway. The tornado then damaged trees and a metal outbuilding on CR 275. The tornado traveled east over inaccessible land but was tracked again along FM 831 near CRs 283 & 285. Notable tree damage and snapped trunks were found in this area. One manufactured home suffered minor roof damage. The tornado dissipated just east of this area. This tornado was rated EF-1 with maximum estimated winds of 95 mph.
An EF-0 tornado started west of the town of Frankston, close to Hwy 175 and Anderson CR 303. Initially the tornado damaged trees at a few homes along Hwy 175. As the tornado moved into town, it continued to cause tree damage, breaking large limbs from trunks and uprooting trees. Some of the limbs and trees fell on homes causing damage to roofs. One tree fell through the end of a home causing a non-life threatening injury. In the town of Frankston, the tornado was rated EF-0 with maximum winds of 85 mph. Many of the uprooted trees occurred in already saturated soils, and this was factored into the final wind speed determination. The tornado continued east of town and was tracked by scattered tree damage along CRs 3051 and 309. The tornado likely dissipated before reaching Lake Palestine.
Facebook report of CR 326 and CR 322 both flooded.
The local volunteer fire department reported several trees down on FM 837, blocking the road between Hwy 19 and Hwy 155.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Texas, 2025Warnings in Texas, May 2025
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: 1261989, 1261990, 1261929, 1261930, 1261931, 1261932, 1261933, 1261934, 1261935, 1261936, 1261937, 1261938, 1261939, 1261940, 1261955, 1261942, 1261943, 1261971, 1261944, 1261945, 1261948, 1261949, 1261950, 1261965, 1261952, 1261960, 1261964, 1261966, 1261979, 1261977, 1261975, 1258251, 1261980, 1261978, 1261982, 1261983, 1258252, 1262103, 1265250, 1262104, and more.