Though most of North and Central Texas received decent rainfall during the Spring, a few of the eastern counties received below normal rainfall and remained in severe to extreme drought.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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.
Though most of North and Central Texas received decent rainfall during the Spring, a few of the eastern counties received below normal rainfall and remained in severe to extreme drought.
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 Apr 30, 6:11 PM CST, 5 hours 49 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 711 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026 ...New AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... - Scattered showers and isolated storms will continue to move across portions of Central TX through the night. Lightning and pockets of moderate rain will be the main hazards. - Widespread rainfall is expected across all of North and Central Texas on Friday. Rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches can be expected, with the higher amounts across Central Texas. - A Flood Watch is in effect for our southern counties in Central TX from tonight through Friday evening. Isolated amounts near 4 inches are possible in the Watch area. - Dry and seasonably cooler weather is forecast over the weekend into early next week. && .SHORT TERM... (Rest of Today through Friday Night) Issued at 220 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026 Scattered showers and isolated storms continue to spread across Central TX this afternoon, with occasional light rain for areas north of I-20. The bulk of this activity should shift east and south this evening as the best area of ascent moves out of our region. Until then, the main hazard will be occasional lightning and brief pockets of moderate rain. Outside of the rain, cloudy and cool weather will persist this afternoon with highs staying in the 60s. More widespread coverage of showers and a few storms is still expected tomorrow as large-scale lift increases with the approaching, well defined shortwave from Baja. The influence of low pressure near the TX Coast will also provide plenty of forcing for rain to develop across the region. As advertised over the last several days, deep moisture will be in place to support very efficient rainfall rates. Overall rainfall totals remain fairly unchanged, averaging between 1-3 inches. However, the potential for pockets of 4 inches across our southern counties has increased. Therefore, a Flood Watch is in effect from midnight tonight through Friday evening. While North Texas is expected to see lower totals, even 1-2 inches of rain could cause flooding impacts in areas where soils remain saturated from previous rainfall. Most of the activity should shift east and south of our area Friday night, with clouds clearing from west to east. The other notable feature for Friday will be the significantly cooler temperatures, with highs in the 50s to lower 60s. Winds will remain from the north, becoming breezy in the afternoon. Sanchez && .LONG TERM... (Saturday through next Wednesday) Issued at 220 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026 After the rain moves out of the area Friday night, pleasant and dry weather is expected over the weekend. We will enjoy highs in the 70s and overnight lows in the 40s/50s. A warming trend will commence on Monday given the return flow and breezy southerly winds. Temperatures should return to the 80s by Tuesday or Wednesday. Low rain chances are forecast on Wednesday as an upper disturbance moves along the zonal flow aloft. A cold front/dryline is forecast to approach our region on Wednesday with low rain chances (20-30%) mainly across our eastern zones. At this time, we're not expecting widespread showers/storms with this system. Sanchez && .AVIATION... (00Z TAFS) Issued at 635 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026 Areas of light rain across North and Central Texas tonight will expand in coverage and intensity through daybreak Friday, as an upper level trough over the Desert Southwest approaches the region from the west. Most of the precipitation will take the form of scattered showers this evening, primarily south of D10. As forcing for ascent increases through the lower and middle atmosphere overnight, showers will become widespread south of an Eastland to Palestine line by around 10z, expanding northward into D10 after 13z. Elevated instability will be sufficient to produce some scattered, embedded thunderstorms within the rain shield after 16z, primarily south of the D10-area TAFs, across Central Texas. Widespread precipitation should persist at all TAF sites through 21z, after which the upper level forcing should weaken, and showers and thunderstorm coverage should correspondingly diminish from west to east across North Texas. Widespread MVFR ceilings at the DFW TAF sites early this evening should largely transition to VFR conditions prior to 03z. However, the arrival of renewed widespread lift and precipitation from the south after midnight will help bring ceilings back down below 2kft across D10 by 09z. Kept cigs primarily out of the IFR category through the 12-18z period, owing to the possibilty of slightly drier air advecting into the region from the northeast. That said, the presence of widespread precipitation across D10 during this period does suggest the potential for widespread IFR conditions. Not overly confident in this element of the forecast, and will monitor the need to lower cigs in later forecast issuances. At Waco, deeper into the region of moisture, lift and precipitation, the ceiling forecast will be cut and dried: essentially IFR conditions through at least 22z Friday. Surface winds will remain fairly consistent at all TAF sites through Friday afternoon, as the region remains sandwiched between a high pressure over the Central Plains and low pressure in Northern Mexico. Northeast winds will continue through the period, at speeds averaging 8-13 knots. && .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Issued at 1239 AM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026 Spotter activation is not expected at this time. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Dallas-Ft. Worth 56 60 50 74 / 60 80 30 0 Waco 56 58 49 71 / 80 90 30 0 Paris 55 62 48 72 / 20 50 20 0 Denton 54 60 46 73 / 50 70 20 0 McKinney 55 60 48 73 / 40 60 30 0 Dallas 56 60 51 74 / 60 80 30 0 Terrell 55 59 48 72 / 60 80 40 0 Corsicana 57 60 51 74 / 80 90 40 0 Temple 57 60 50 73 / 90 100 30 0 Mineral Wells 53 57 46 73 / 70 80 20 0 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Flood Watch from midnight CDT tonight through Friday evening for TXZ156-158-162-174-175. && SHORT TERM...Sanchez LONG TERM....Sanchez AVIATION...Bradshaw
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Fort Worth TX
811 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0505 PM Tstm Wnd Dmg 2 W Newark 33.00N 97.51W
04/28/2026 Wise TX Public
Several trees were blown down near Eagle
Mountain Lake in Newark.
&&
ShamburgerThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
According the the U.S Drought Monitor, severe to extreme drought conditions persisted across the eastern half of Lamar County during May of 2026.
According the the U.S Drought Monitor, severe drought conditions persisted across the eastern half of Delta County during May of 2026.
According the the U.S Drought Monitor, severe drought conditions persisted across the eastern half of Hopkins County during May of 2026.
According the the U.S Drought Monitor, severe drought conditions persisted across the eastern half of Van Zandt County during May of 2026.
According the the U.S Drought Monitor, severe drought conditions persisted across most of Henderson County during May of 2026.
According the the U.S Drought Monitor, severe drought conditions persisted across the northern half of Anderson County during May of 2026.
Severe drought conditions at the start of May improved to moderate drought by the middle of the month, following beneficial rainfall from spring convection.
Severe drought conditions at the start of May improved to moderate drought by the middle of the month, following beneficial rainfall from spring convection.
Severe drought conditions at the start of May improved to moderate drought by the middle of the month, following beneficial rainfall from spring convection.
Severe drought conditions at the start of May improved to moderate drought by the middle of the month, following beneficial rainfall from spring convection.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Texas in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Texas, May 2026
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: 1342915, 1342916, 1342917, 1342919, 1342920, 1342922, 1342923, 1342924, 1342925, 1342926.