Tornadoes · United States · Texas · 2015
EF0 tornado, Dublin Campbell Arpt to Dublin, Texas, April 26, 2015
From Dublin Campbell Arpt to Dublin, this EF0 tornado ran 1.3 miles across Erath County on April 26, 2015, touching down at 4:30 PM CDT and reaching 70 yards wide. It killed nobody.
The rating scale
Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.
EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado
Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.
EF186 to 110 mph
Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.
EF2111 to 135 mph
Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.
EF3136 to 165 mph
Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.
EF4166 to 200 mph
Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.
EF5over 200 mph
Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.
Unrated
The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.
The record
- Rating
- EF0
- Date
- April 26, 2015
- Touchdown
- 4:30 PM CDT (21:30 UTC)
- Lifted
- 4:31 PM CDT (21:31 UTC)
- On the ground
- 1 minutes
- Path length
- 1.3 miles (2.0 km)
- Path width
- 70 yards (64 m)
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- County
- Erath County
- Touchdown point
- 32.058, -98.390
- Lift-off point
- 32.065, -98.370
- Record number
- 1504261530-01
What the Weather Service recorded
Several discrete supercells developed across the region producing hail up to the size of softballs, severe winds, flash flooding and tornadoes. The storms eventually merged into a squall line that moved across the region south of Interstate 20. A total of 16 tornadoes occurred on this day and most of the tornadoes were produced by one supercell. This supercell stalled in southern Johnson County for up to 3 hours and produced 8 tornadoes near the Rio Vista area also with significant flash flooding. At least one of the tornadoes rotated cyclonically. One tornado in Johnson County was rated an EF1 but the other 15 tornadoes were rated EF0s.
Multiple trained spotters observed a brief tornado to the southwest of Dublin. This tornado occurred on the north side of U.S. 377 and produced spotty tree damage.
From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.
The warnings
15 minutes of warning. NWS FWD issued a tornado warning for this county at 21:15 UTC, 15 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 22:00 UTC.
The county was under a tornado watch, issued at 18:06 UTC and running to 21:54 UTC.
| Issued (UTC) | Expired | Product | Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18:06 UTC | 21:54 UTC | Tornado Watch | FWD |
| 20:45 UTC | 21:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD |
| 21:15 UTC | 22:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | FWD |
| 21:44 UTC | 22:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD |
| 21:54 UTC | 03:45 UTC | Tornado Watch | FWD |
| 22:27 UTC | 23:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD |
| 22:58 UTC | 00:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD |
| 23:18 UTC | 23:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | FWD |
| 23:39 UTC | 00:15 UTC | Tornado Warning | FWD |
| 23:50 UTC | 00:30 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD |
| 00:08 UTC | 00:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | FWD |
| 00:16 UTC | 01:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD |
| 00:20 UTC | 03:15 UTC | Flood Advisory | FWD |
| 00:23 UTC | 01:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD |
| 00:54 UTC | 02:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD |
| 00:57 UTC | 02:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD |
| 01:15 UTC | 01:45 UTC | Tornado Warning | FWD |
| 01:25 UTC | 02:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | FWD |
| 01:41 UTC | 02:00 UTC | Tornado Warning | FWD |
| 01:43 UTC | 02:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD |
| 01:52 UTC | 04:45 UTC | Flash Flood Warning | FWD |
| 01:57 UTC | 03:00 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD |
| 02:48 UTC | 03:45 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD |
| 03:42 UTC | 04:27 UTC | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | FWD |
| 03:45 UTC | 08:59 UTC | Tornado Watch | FWD |
| 04:52 UTC | 07:45 UTC | Flood Warning | FWD |
Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.
The forecast that day
The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Moderate Risk, with a 0.10 chance of a tornado within 25 miles, in the hatched area where significant tornadoes were expected. The outlook in force was issued at 19:51 UTC.
SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the tornado touched down, 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 tornado touched down at Apr 26, 2:32 PM CDT, 1 hour 58 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 26, 2:32 PM CDT, 1 hour 58 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 232 PM CDT SUN APR 26 2015 .DISCUSSION... WITH THE FOCUS OF THE FORECAST ON OUR SHORT TERM SEVERE WEATHER EVOLUTION...WILL KEEP THE DISCUSSION WITH REGARDS TO THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST BRIEF. THE DISCUSSION REGARDING THE EVOLUTION OF SEVERE STORMS TODAY AND TONIGHT REMAINS MOSTLY VALID STILL AT 2 PM...SO LEFT THE EARLY AFTERNOON UPDATE APPENDED BELOW. CHANGES FROM THE PREVIOUS UPDATE FOR TODAY...THE 18Z SUBJECTIVE SURFACE ANALYSIS INDICATED SURFACE CYCLOGENESIS WAS OCCURRING FARTHER NORTH THAN WHAT MODELS WERE INDICATING THIS MORNING. IF THE SURFACE LOW DOES NOT DEVELOP FARTHER SOUTH THIS AFTERNOON...THE PRIMARY INGREDIENTS FOR DISCRETE SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORMS MAY MOVE NORTH TOWARDS THE DFW METROPLEX THIS EVENING. THE SURFACE LOW IS EXPECTED TO DEEPEN THROUGH 00Z AND THE STRONGEST FORCING AND COMBINATION OF INGREDIENTS FOR SUPERCELLS WILL EXIST AT THAT TIME AS A RESULT. THE BEST WINDOW FOR DISCRETE SUPERCELL DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THE CWA...EAST OF THE SURFACE LOW STILL APPEARS TO BE ON TRACK FOR THE 5 PM TO 10 PM TIME FRAME. WILL CONTINUE TO WATCH THE EVOLUTION OF THE SURFACE LOW CLOSELY THIS AFTERNOON BECAUSE IF IT SETS UP FARTHER NORTH...THE BIGGEST THREAT FOR DISCRETE SUPERCELLS MAY MOVE AWAY FROM CENTRAL TEXAS AND TOWARDS THE DFW AREA. WILL HAVE TO JUST SEE WHAT HAPPENS AT THIS POINT. ANOTHER TORNADO WATCH IS LIKELY TO BE ISSUED LATE THIS AFTERNOON FOR MUCH OF NORTH AND CENTRAL TEXAS. WHILE THERE MAY NOT BE MANY STORMS...THE STORMS THAT DO DEVELOP ARE EXPECTED TO POSE A VERY HIGH THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER. CONDITIONS STILL LOOK FAVORABLE FOR VERY LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND TORNADOES WHEREVER SUPERCELLS DEVELOP. A SQUALL LINE STILL LOOKS LIKELY TO DEVELOP ACROSS FAR SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA OR ACROSS NORTHWEST TEXAS THIS EVENING. THIS SQUALL LINE STILL LOOKS LIKE IT WILL BE VERY ORGANIZED AND POSE A WIDESPREAD THREAT FOR DAMAGING WINDS AS IT MOVES SOUTHEAST ACROSS NORTH TEXAS LATE THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. THE THREAT FOR FLOODING APPEARS TO BE UNCHANGED AT THIS TIME. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE THREAT FOR TRAINING STORMS THROUGH TONIGHT...HOWEVER CONFIDENCE IS NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO ISSUE A FLASH FLOOD WATCH AT THIS TIME. MONDAY...THUNDERSTORMS ARE VERY LIKELY ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL TEXAS MONDAY AFTERNOON...HOWEVER THE MODE AND OVERALL THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER IS VERY UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME. IF A LARGE SQUALL LINE/DERECHO MOVES SOUTHEAST ACROSS NORTH TEXAS OVERNIGHT...IT MAY LEAVE A STRONG OUTFLOW BOUNDARY THAT WILL SIGNIFICANTLY ALTER THE THERMODYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT FOR MONDAY. UNTIL WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WITH STORMS THROUGH TONIGHT...IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO IDENTIFY THE EXACT THREAT FOR SEVERE STORMS ON MONDAY. THERE WILL BE STRONG LIFT AS THE UPPER TROUGH PULLS EAST OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS...AND THERE WILL BE MOISTURE...SO OVERALL POPS ARE QUITE HIGH IN THE 50 TO 70 PERCENT CHANCE RANGE. THERE WILL PROBABLY BE A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF WIND SHEAR TO SUPPORT ORGANIZED STORMS TOMORROW AFTERNOON...HOWEVER CONDITIONS NEAR THE SURFACE MAY BE COOL AND CLOUD COVER MAY INHIBIT SURFACE BASED INSTABILITY FOR MUCH OF THE DAY TOMORROW. AT THIS TIME...THINK THAT THE LOCATIONS WITH THE BEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE STORMS TOMORROW AFTERNOON WILL TEND TO BE SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20 AS THE OVERNIGHT SQUALL LINE IS MOST LIKELY ALONG AND NORTH OF I-20. WE WILL OBVIOUSLY HAVE TO REEVALUATE THE THERMODYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT TOMORROW MORNING AFTER THE SQUALL LINE HAS MOVED EAST OF THE CWA. TUESDAY...THE UPPER TROUGH/LOW IS EXPECTED TO BE OVER NORTH TEXAS...CENTERED OVER THE RED RIVER. THERE IS A CHANCE OF SEEING SOME STORMS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE UPPER LOW AS THE COLD AIR ALOFT WILL HELP DESTABILIZE THE ENVIRONMENT...HOWEVER SKIES WILL LIKELY BE OVERCAST...SO SURFACE BASED STORMS APPEAR TO BE VERY UNLIKELY AT THIS TIME. SCATTERED ELEVATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY NEAR THE CENTER OF THE UPPER LOW...SO HAVE THE HIGHEST POPS NEAR THE RED RIVER...AND LOWEST POPS ACROSS CENTRAL TEXAS ON TUESDAY. WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...UPPER LEVEL RIDGING IS EXPECTED TO RESULT IN A WARMING TREND UNDER MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. CAVANAUGH && .PREVIOUS UPDATE /ISSUED AT 1239 PM/... MESOSCALE FORECAST UPDATE REGARDING THE FORECAST FOR SEVERE STORMS ACROSS NORTH AND CENTRAL TEXAS TODAY... 12Z UPPER AIR ANALYSIS SHOWED AN INTENSE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH LOCATED OVER THE SOUTHERN ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO BORDER. 500 MB HEIGHT FALLS OF 6 TO 12 DM WERE OBSERVED DOWNSTREAM OF THIS UPPER TROUGH...AND THE MAGNITUDE OF THESE HEIGHT FALLS IS INDICATIVE OF STRONG LARGE SCALE FORCING FOR ASCENT TO THE EAST. AT THE 700 MB LEVEL...A PLUME OF STEEP MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES WAS OBSERVED...WITH A TEMPERATURE DIFFERENCE IN THE 700 TO 500 MB LAYER OF 22 DEG C LOCATED SOUTHWEST OF NORTH AND CENTRAL TEXAS. TO THE SOUTHWEST OF THIS PLUME OF ENHANCED LAPSE RATES...A 50 KT MID-LEVEL JET CORE WAS OBSERVED OVER NORTHERN MEXICO. CLOSER TO THE SURFACE...AT THE 850 MB LEVEL...DEEP MOISTURE WAS ONLY OBSERVED OVER SOUTHWEST TEXAS WITH A DRYLINE SUBJECTIVELY ANALYZED NEAR THE TX/OK BORDER...EXTENDING SOUTHWEST OVER WEST CENTRAL TEXAS AND INTO NORTHERN MEXICO ABOUT 60 MILES WEST OF DEL RIO. A 15Z SURFACE ANALYSIS OBSERVED RICH MOISTURE IN PLACE ALONG THE TX GULF COAST WITH MID 70S DEW POINTS OBSERVED WEST AND SOUTHWEST OF HOUSTON. FOR TODAY...NEARLY ALL SHORT RANGE MODEL GUIDANCE INDICATES THAT A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL INTENSIFY RAPIDLY THIS AFTERNOON OVER WEST CENTRAL TEXAS. MOST GUIDANCE SHOWS SURFACE PRESSURE FALLING AT A RATE OF 2-3 MB PER HOUR LEADING UP TO 00Z. AT 15Z...THE LOWEST SURFACE PRESSURE OVER THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS WAS AROUND 1002 MB...MOST GUIDANCE INDICATES THE SURFACE LOW'S PRESSURE WILL FALL TO 993 TO 995 MB BY 00Z. THAT MAGNITUDE OF PRESSURE FALL ASSOCIATED WITH THE SURFACE LOW IS FAIRLY INTENSE...AND SHOULD RESULT IN A CONVERGENCE OF PARAMETERS THAT WILL SUPPORT A LOCALIZED SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK ACROSS THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ONE OF THE KEY FORECAST CHALLENGES TODAY WILL BE DETERMINING WHERE THE SURFACE LOW MOVES AS THE RELATIVE THREATS FOR SUPERCELLS AND TORNADOES WILL VARY DEPENDING ON THE EXACT POSITION OF THIS LOW LATER THIS AFTERNOON. THE 12Z NAM AND 16Z HRRR INDICATE THE SURFACE LOW WILL BE LOCATED JUST SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20 AND JUST NORTH OF SAN ANGELO. IF THIS POSITION FOR THE SURFACE LOW IS CORRECT...THE THREAT FOR DISCRETE SUPERCELLS WOULD BE MAXIMIZED TO THE EAST OF THE SURFACE LOW...WHERE A TRIPLE POINT WOULD LIKELY SET UP. SUPERCELLS WOULD BE MOST LIKELY TO DEVELOP NEAR THIS TRIPLE POINT...AND THEN MOVE EAST IN THE RELATIVELY STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT. STORMS APPEAR TO BE VERY LIKELY IN A SUPERCELL STORM MODE IF THEY DEVELOP IN THIS TRIPLE POINT BY 00Z AS CAPE IS FORECAST TO BE ON THE ORDER OF 3000 J/KG WITH DEEP LAYER SHEAR OF 50 KTS IN THE 0-6 KM AGL LAYER. THE SHAPE OF THE 0-3 KM HODOGRAPH IS EXPECTED TO BE CLOCKWISE LOOPING...AND DYNAMICALLY MORE FAVORABLE FOR RIGHT MOVING SUPERCELLS. AS A RESULT...EXPECT SUPERCELL STORM MOTION TO BE ALMOST DUE EAST LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. RIGHT MOVING SUPERCELLS LOOK MOST LIKELY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 20 BASED ON THE FORECAST POSITION OF THE SURFACE LOW. THIS PLACES MUCH OF CENTRAL TEXAS IN THE PRIMARY THREAT CORRIDOR FOR DISCRETE SUPERCELLS. THE ENVIRONMENT IS SUPPORTIVE OF WELL-ORGANIZED SUPERCELLS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND TORNADOES. THE RESIDENTS OF CENTRAL TEXAS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PAY VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS A RESULT. OF COURSE IF THE SURFACE LOW IS FARTHER NORTH ...THE PRIMARY THREAT CORRIDOR FOR DISCRETE SUPERCELLS WILL MOVE NORTH WITH IT. AWAY FROM THIS PRIMARY THREAT CORRIDOR...IT IS CERTAINLY POSSIBLE FOR SUPERCELLS TO DEVELOP JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE IN THE WARM AIR ADVECTION REGIME INDICATED BY THE CLOCKWISE LOOPING LOW-LEVEL HODOGRAPH. THIS LIFT/FORCING IS NOT AS STRONG AND FOCUSED...SO IT IS SIMPLY MORE DIFFICULT TO KNOW IF...WHEN AND WHERE A SUPERCELL MAY DEVELOP IN THIS WARM AIR ADVECTION REGIME. AFTER 00Z...THE VERY STRONG FORCING FOR ASCENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER TROUGH OVER SOUTHERN ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO IS EXPECTED TO LIFT OUT OVER THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. THE LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE IS CONVERGING ON A SOLUTION THAT SUGGESTS A VERY WELL ORGANIZED SQUALL LINE WILL DEVELOP NEAR CHILDRESS...AND MOVE SOUTHEAST TOWARDS NORTH TEXAS THIS EVENING. THERE ARE HINTS IN THE MODEL MASS FIELDS THAT THIS SQUALL LINE COULD POTENTIALLY BE VERY WELL ORGANIZED...AND MAY POSE A WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WIND THREAT AS IT MOVES SOUTHEAST ACROSS NORTH TEXAS OVERNIGHT. IF THIS SQUALL LINE DOES INDEED ORGANIZE...IT MAY PERSIST LONG ENOUGH AND PRODUCE ENOUGH STRAIGHT LINE WIND DAMAGE TO QUALIFY AS A DERECHO BY THE TIME IT EXITS THE CWA TO THE EAST WELL AFTER MIDNIGHT. THE PRIMARY TIME THIS SQUALL LINE/BOW-ECHO IS EXPECTED TO MOVE OVER NORTH TEXAS IS FROM 10 PM TO 3 AM. THE EXISTENCE OF THIS SQUALL LINE IS FAR FROM 100 PERCENT CERTAIN...BUT IT WILL PROBABLY ORGANIZE BASED ON THE CONSISTENT SIGNAL IN THIS MORNING'S HIGH RESOLUTION MODEL GUIDANCE. THE PRIMARY THREATS WITHIN THIS SQUALL LINE WOULD BE DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. ASSUMING THE SQUALL LINE MOVES THROUGH THE AREA AFTER SUNSET AS CURRENTLY FORECAST...THIS MAY REDUCE THE POTENTIAL FOR HIGH-END DAMAGING WINDS. REGARDLESS... WIND DAMAGE WOULD STILL BE LIKELY AS THIS SQUALL LIKE WOULD PROBABLY BE VERY WELL ORGANIZED. LARGE HAIL AND A BRIEF TORNADO MAY ALSO OCCUR IN THIS LINE...ASSUMING IT DEVELOPS. LAST BUT NOT LEAST...WE WILL ALSO BE MONITORING FOR HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLASH FLOODING POTENTIAL THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. IF A WARM FRONT SETS UP ALONG THE INTERSTATE 20 CORRIDOR...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP ALONG THIS BOUNDARY AND TRAIN OVER AREAS TO THE NORTHEAST. THIS MAY EVOLVE INTO ANOTHER LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING EVENT NORTH OF INTERSTATE 20 AND GENERALLY EAST OF INTERSTATE 35...VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT HAPPENED ON FRIDAY. WILL HOLD OFF ON A FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR NOW AS CONFIDENCE IN THIS TAKING PLACE IS NOT HIGH AT THIS TIME. IF IT OCCURS...THESE LOCATIONS HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED QUITE A BIT OF RAINFALL ON FRIDAY...SO FLOODING WOULD TEND TO OCCUR QUICKLY IF STORMS BEGIN TO TRAIN OVER THIS REGION THROUGH TONIGHT. WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE SHORT TERM FORECAST UPDATES FOR CONVECTION MODE THROUGH THIS EVENING. EXPECT STORMS WILL START DEVELOPING NEAR THE SURFACE LOW AND EVOLVE INTO DISCRETE SUPERCELLS BY/AFTER 4 PM/21Z. CAVANAUGH && .AVIATION... /ISSUED 1256 PM CDT SUN APR 26 2015/ THE NEXT 24 HOURS WILL BE A VERY ACTIVE PERIOD FOR THE NORTH AND CENTRAL TEXAS TAF SITES WITH CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...SOME OF WHICH WILL BE SEVERE. CONVECTION IS ONGOING SOUTHWEST OF METROPLEX TAF SITES AND JUST TO THE WEST OF WACO. THIS ACTIVITY IS ELEVATED...AND BASED AROUND 10KFT. STEEP LAPSE RATES THROUGH THE COLUMN ARE LIKELY CONTRIBUTING TO TURBULENCE IN THIS AREA AS WELL. LIGHTNING WILL BE THE PRIMARY CONCERN AS THIS ACTIVITY CONTINUES TO PUSH TOWARDS THE METROPLEX THIS AFTERNOON. LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG THE DRYLINE AS SURFACE BASED INSTABILITY INCREASES DUE TO STRONG LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE ADVECTION. IT APPEARS THE GREATEST THREAT FOR SEVERE STORMS NEAR THE METROPLEX WILL OCCUR AFTER 02Z. HIGH RESOLUTION GUIDANCE IS KEYING IN ON AN AREA ALONG A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY WHICH WOULD BE FAVORABLE FOR A STRONG LINEAR CONVECTIVE SYSTEM TO DEVELOP AND RIDE THE BOUNDARY EASTWARD TOWARD THE METROPLEX TAF SITES AROUND MIDNIGHT. THIS SOLUTION IS FAR FROM CERTAIN...BUT THERE IS DECENT AGREEMENT FROM SHORT TERM GUIDANCE WHICH LENDS CREDENCE TO THIS SCENARIO. THE MAIN THREAT WITH THIS SOLUTION WOULD BE VERY STRONG WINDS...BUT ALL TYPES OF SEVERE WEATHER WOULD STILL BE POSSIBLE IN THIS FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT. THE LINE OF STORMS BEING ADVERTISED ALONG THE STATIONARY BOUNDARY WILL LIKELY BE TOO FAR NORTH TO IMPACT THE WACO TAF SITE. HOWEVER... WACO WILL BE THREATENED BY DISCRETE SUPERCELLS DEVELOPING LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE DRYLINE. AGAIN...ALL TYPES OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN CENTRAL TEXAS. AFTER STORMS CLEAR OUT EARLY ON MONDAY MORNING...SOME BORDERLINE IFR/MVFR CIGS WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THE WAKE OF THE WIDESPREAD CONVECTION. HAVE KEPT TAF SITES ON THE LOW END OF MVFR FOR NOW SINCE THERE IS MUCH UNCERTAINTY ON THE POST-CONVECTIVE ENVIRONMENT TOMORROW. STALLEY && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DALLAS-FT. WORTH, TX 63 69 53 63 48 / 70 60 60 20 5 WACO, TX 64 76 54 65 46 / 60 60 40 10 0 PARIS, TX 56 66 52 63 45 / 70 70 70 30 5 DENTON, TX 62 66 52 63 45 / 70 60 60 20 5 MCKINNEY, TX 60 66 52 63 46 / 70 70 70 20 5 DALLAS, TX 63 69 53 63 50 / 70 60 60 20 5 TERRELL, TX 61 70 54 63 48 / 60 70 70 20 5 CORSICANA, TX 64 73 54 64 48 / 60 60 60 20 0 TEMPLE, TX 64 81 55 66 48 / 60 30 40 10 0 MINERAL WELLS, TX 61 71 53 63 46 / 70 60 40 10 0 && .FWD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 26, 3:19 PM CDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX 319 PM CDT SUN APR 26 2015 TXZ091>095-100>107-115>123-129>135-141>148-156>162-174-175-271245- 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- 319 PM CDT SUN APR 26 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MID EVENING ACROSS ALL OF NORTH AND CENTRAL TEXAS. THE HIGHEST CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE ALONG AND WEST OF THE I-35 CORRIDOR. THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE WITH VERY LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND POSSIBLY TORNADOES. THE TORNADO THREAT IS GREATEST SOUTHWEST OF A DECATUR TO HILLSBORO TO TEMPLE LINE BETWEEN 5 PM AND 9 PM. THE RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE INTO THE NIGHTTIME HOURS AS A LINE OF STORMS DEVELOPS OUT WEST AND MARCHES EAST ACROSS MUCH OF NORTH AND CENTRAL TEXAS. DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WILL BE THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREATS TONIGHT...BUT A TORNADO CAN NOT BE RULED OUT. ALL THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL THAT MAY LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. THE IS A GOOD CHANCE OF RAIN AND THUNDERSTORM ON MONDAY ACROSS ALL OF NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS. SOME THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND STRONG WINDS...BUT THE RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER SHOULD BE LOWER THAN SUNDAYS THREAT. HOWEVER...THE HEAVY RAINFALL AND FLOODING THREAT WILL INCREASE MONDAY WITH LOCATIONS NORTH OF A BOWIE TO DFW TO PALESTINE LINE HAVING THE HIGHER RAINFALL AMOUNTS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON ALONG AND WEST OF I-35. SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE LIKELY TONIGHT ACROSS ALL OF NORTH AND CENTRAL TEXAS.
In the hours before
Local storm report, Apr 26, 3:33 PM CDT, 57 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
333 PM CDT SUN APR 26 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0328 PM TORNADO 4 NW SIDNEY 31.99N 98.78W
04/26/2015 COMANCHE TX TRAINED SPOTTERLocal storm report, Apr 26, 3:46 PM CDT, 44 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
346 PM CDT SUN APR 26 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0333 PM TORNADO 8 NW COMANCHE 31.98N 98.72W
04/26/2015 COMANCHE TX TRAINED SPOTTER
SPOTTER 3SE OF RISING STAR REPORTED TORNADO W/DEBRIS TO
THE SOUTH IN COMANCHE COUNTY.Local storm report, Apr 26, 4:03 PM CDT, 27 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
403 PM CDT SUN APR 26 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0402 PM HAIL 7 W DE LEON 32.12N 98.67W
04/26/2015 E2.75 INCH COMANCHE TX AMATEUR RADIOLocal storm report, Apr 26, 4:17 PM CDT, 13 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
417 PM CDT SUN APR 26 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0400 PM HAIL DUSTER 32.13N 98.65W
04/26/2015 E4.50 INCH COMANCHE TX PUBLIC
SMASHED WINDLocal storm report, Apr 26, 4:20 PM CDT, 10 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
420 PM CDT SUN APR 26 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0415 PM TORNADO 12 N GUSTINE 32.02N 98.40W
04/26/2015 COMANCHE TX TRAINED SPOTTER
TORNADO ON GROUND 12N OF GUSTINE.The air that afternoon
The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.
Fort Worth, TX (KFWD), 12:00Z
9.5 hours before the tornado, 133 km from the path. April 26, 2015.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -90765 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 3257 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 43 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 13 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 108 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 128 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 3.9 K/km
Fort Worth, TX (KFWD), 00:00Z
2.5 hours after it, 133 km from the path. April 27, 2015.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1199 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -82 J/kg
- Surface CAPE
- 2579 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1646 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 59 kt
- 0-1 km bulk shear
- 11 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 68 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 248 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 3.3
- 0-3 km lapse rate
- 8.4 K/km
What was reported nearby
Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.
| Time (UTC) | Report | Where | County | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20:13 UTC | TORNADO | 1 Wnw May | Brown, TX | RESIDENT REPORTS TORNADO ON THE GROUND...AND IT HAS BEEN OBSERVED FOR THE LAST 10 MINUTES. |
| 20:17 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | 6 N May | Brown, TX | |
| 20:24 UTC | TORNADO | 3 N May | Brown, TX | VIDEO OF A TORNADO 3 MILES NORTH OF MAY VIA SOCIAL MEDIA. |
| 20:28 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Nw Sidney | Comanche, TX | $$ |
| 20:28 UTC | TORNADO | 4 Nw Sidney | Comanche, TX | |
| 20:33 UTC | TORNADO | 8 Nw Comanche | Comanche, TX | SPOTTER 3SE OF RISING STAR REPORTED TORNADO W/DEBRIS TO THE SOUTH IN COMANCHE COUNTY. |
| 21:00 UTC | HAIL 4.5 | Duster | Comanche, TX | SMASHED WIND |
| 21:02 UTC | HAIL 2.75 | 7 W De Leon | Comanche, TX | $$ |
| 21:02 UTC | HAIL 2.75 | 7 W De Leon | Comanche, TX | |
| 21:15 UTC | TORNADO | 12 N Gustine | Comanche, TX | TORNADO ON GROUND 12N OF GUSTINE. |
| 21:30 UTC | TSTM WND GST 60 | 2 N Proctor | Comanche, TX | $$ |
| 21:30 UTC | TSTM WND GST 60 | 2 N Proctor | Comanche, TX | |
| 21:30 UTC | TORNADO | 3 Sw Dublin | Erath, TX | SPOTTER REPORTS TORNADO 3SW OF DUBLIN. |
| 21:31 UTC | HAIL 1 | 1 N Proctor | Comanche, TX | $$ |
| 21:31 UTC | HAIL 1 | 1 N Proctor | Comanche, TX | |
| 21:41 UTC | HAIL 2.75 | 2 E Dublin | Erath, TX | SPOTTER REPORT OF BASEBALL HAIL 2 EAST OF DUBLIN. |
| 21:44 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | 1 S Dublin | Erath, TX | SPOTTER REPORTS GOLF BALL HAIL COVERING THE ROAD 1 SOUTH OF DUBLIN. |
| 22:12 UTC | HAIL 1.5 | 0 S Rising Star | Eastland, TX | IN RISING STAR |
| 22:24 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | 2 Wnw Dublin | Erath, TX | HAIL 2 INCHES DEEP ON HWY 6 AT COMANCHE/ERATH COUNTY LINE. |
| 22:24 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | 4 Ese De Leon | Comanche, TX | HAIL AROUND 2 INCHES DEEP ON HWY 6 AT COMANCHE/ERATH COUNTY LINE. |
| 22:24 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | 4 Ese De Leon | Comanche, TX | HAIL AROUND 2 INCHES DEEP ON HWY 6 AT EASTLAND/ERATH COUNTY LINE. |
| 22:33 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | Ranger | Eastland, TX | $$ |
| 22:33 UTC | HAIL 0.88 | Ranger | Eastland, TX | |
| 22:36 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | Chalk Mountain | Erath, TX | $$ |
| 22:36 UTC | HAIL 0.75 | Chalk Mountain | Erath, TX | |
| 22:38 UTC | TORNADO | 2 W Chalk Mountain | Erath, TX | BRIEF TORNADO |
| 22:51 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | Gorman | Eastland, TX | $$ |
| 22:51 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | Gorman | Eastland, TX | |
| 23:36 UTC | HAIL 4.25 | Stephenville | Erath, TX | IN TOWN |
| 23:47 UTC | HAIL 4.25 | 5 Ne Selden | Erath, TX | |
| 23:47 UTC | HAIL 4.25 | 5 Ne Stephenville | Erath, TX | $$ |
| 23:47 UTC | HAIL 4.25 | 5 Ne Stephenville | Erath, TX | |
| 00:03 UTC | TORNADO | 5 E Stephenville | Erath, TX | $$ |
| 00:03 UTC | TORNADO | 5 E Stephenville | Erath, TX | |
| 00:04 UTC | TORNADO | 6 E Stephenville | Erath, TX | LARGE CONE |
| 00:25 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | Dublin | Erath, TX | $$ |
| 00:25 UTC | HAIL 1.75 | Dublin | Erath, TX |
From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.
This ground now
The live radar over the trackEvery 2015 tornado in TexasEvery tornado in Texas since 1950Warnings in force in Texas nowThe forecast where you are
The other tornadoes of April 26, 2015
18 more were confirmed in the United States that day.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 26 | 2:42 PM CDT | EF0 | Coleman, TX | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| April 26 | 3:10 PM CDT | EF0 | Brown, TX | 3.3 | 50 | |||
| April 26 | 3:28 PM CDT | EF0 | Comanche, TX | 0.9 | 25 | |||
| April 26 | 3:45 PM CDT | EF0 | Comanche, TX | 1.3 | 50 | |||
| April 26 | 4:05 PM CDT | EF0 | Comanche, TX | 0.8 | 50 | |||
| April 26 | 4:15 PM CDT | EF0 | Comanche, TX | 0.5 | 80 | |||
| April 26 | 6:58 PM CDT | EF0 | Erath, TX | 0.8 | 50 | |||
| April 26 | 9:09 PM CDT | EF0 | Somervell, TX | 0.2 | 25 | |||
| April 26 | 10:00 PM CDT | EF1 | Brown, TX | 1.0 | 175 | |||
| April 26 | 10:03 PM CDT | EF0 | Johnson, TX | 2.0 | 200 | $100,000 | ||
| April 26 | 10:24 PM CDT | EF0 | Johnson, TX | 1.1 | 80 | |||
| April 26 | 10:33 PM CDT | EF0 | Johnson, TX | 2.1 | 200 | $50,000 | ||
| April 26 | 10:45 PM CDT | EF0 | Johnson, TX | 0.9 | 25 | |||
| April 26 | 11:01 PM CDT | EF0 | Johnson, TX | 5.4 | 220 | $600,000 | ||
| April 26 | 11:16 PM CDT | EF1 | Johnson, TX | 1.0 | 100 | $60,000 | ||
| April 26 | 11:16 PM CDT | EF0 | Johnson, TX | 1.6 | 80 | |||
| April 26 | 11:24 PM CDT | EF0 | Hill, TX | 0.7 | 30 | |||
| April 26 | 11:25 PM CDT | EF0 | Johnson, TX | 5.5 | 100 | $200,000 |
What this means
Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.
Sources
NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.