A Harrowing Night in Texas Tornado Alley

Severe thunderstorms, funnel clouds and hail the size of tennis balls bombarded the Dallas and Fort Worth areas overnight, smashing car windows, damaging roofs and leaving thousands of homes and businesses without electricity Wednesday.

The storms in Texas were among a series that threatened a swath of the central U.S. on Tuesday night and early Wednesday, killing more than a dozen people. 
Man Found Dead In Oak Lawn After Night Of Storms In Dallas-Fort Worth

A man was found dead Wednesday morning at an apartment complex in the Oak Lawn area of Dallas. The deceased, wearing only shorts, was discovered shortly before 7 a.m. by an apartment manager assessing damage from Tuesday’s storms.  According to Dallas Fire-Rescue representative Jason Evans, police found the victim surrounded by downed tree limbs and power lines, and believe he likely was electrocuted. "Based on what we see, Evans said, I think everyone would assume that it was the downed power lines, but it may also be that he was struck by an object, a tree." He was declared dead at the scene.
At the apartment complex where the deceased lived, Dallas Fire-Rescue had responded to a downed power line around 10 p.m. on Tuesday. Firefighters cordoned off the area and made sure no one approached the line. A neighbor of the victim said he and the man were out surveying storm damage before parting about 10:30 p.m. and returning to their homes. Other neighbors reported hearing someone screaming, about 15 minutes  later, but did not investigate because of the violent storms, Evans said.

In Dallas, a few blocks away from where the man died, fire-rescue crews were sent to an apartment complex near the Dallas North Tollway and Lemmon Avenue where a roof had collapsed. The Red Cross was preparing to help displaced residents.

In Irving, a police officer was struck by lightning about 10:30 p.m. as he laid road flares on Loop 12 near Shady Grove Road. He was hospitalized overnight but was listed in good condition.

No other serious injuries were reported from Tuesday’s dangerous supercell storms, though there were numerous reports of tornadoes in cities including Dallas, Grapevine and Highland Park. Homeowners took shelter as warning sirens blared through the night.

A funnel cloud was reported near Lancaster High School, and radar detected a developing tornado near Duncanville, WFAA-TV (Channel 8) said. Few of the funnels touched down as they passed across the region for about four hours, but winds estimated at up to 70 mph damaged buildings, trees and power lines.

Oncor Electric Delivery reports that nearly 34,000 customers across the area are without power this morning, after a peak of 70,000 just after the storms passed through.

Dallas police dispatchers, having problems with their radio system that were apparently weather-related, directed patrol officers to report to fire stations on their beats.

The Trinity Railway Express suspended service, and Dallas Area Rapid Transit reported service interruptions because of power outages, WFAA reported.

Hail damage was reported throughout the city, including at the TPC
Four Seasons at Las Colinas golf course, which hosts the HP Byron Nelson Championship this week. The greens were pelted by hailstones, causing four thousand three-inch divots.

In Watauga, Argyle and Denton, hail was widespread, with some as large as softballs reported near Seagoville.  The storms smashed car windows and stripped roof tiles from homes.  Damage to some homes included lost roofs as well.

At Irving High, part of the roof was blown off the school's gymnastics center and onto the football field. At other schools, skylights were shattered by the storm. Two schools in Irving ISD were without power this morning; Britain Elementary opened late, and classes were canceled at Lamar Middle School.

Near the intersection of Rufe Snow Drive and Interstate 820 in North Richland Hills, high winds damaged a vacant antique shop. Rooftop air conditioning units and other debris were scattered through the parking lot. North Richland Hills Fire Department battalion chief Charles Groggan said there was damage throughout the city.

At Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, play was halted at the Rangers-White Sox game in the top of the fourth inning. Initially, fans took cover in the concourses, but they soon were sent into the stadium’s lowest levels for better protection. The game eventually resumed, ending around 1:30 a.m. with an 8-6 White Sox win.

At Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, about  10,000 passengers were stranded by the storms overnight, airport spokesman David Magana said. 
Rainfall was intermittent but heavy at times, with a half-inch falling in less than an hour at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

Travelers there were moved away from windows and pulled from planes about 8:30 p.m. because of hail and the threat of tornadoes.  Cots, blankets and toiletries were made available to travelers, he said, and concession areas stayed open through the night.  American Airlines canceled 286 departures and arrivals at its D/FW hub, spokesman Tim Smith said. 

On Wednesday morning, crews began inspecting 62 American planes and 27 American Eagle aircraft for possible damage, he said. He did not have figures on how many planes were damaged in Tuesday night's storm.  Magana said flight operations were returning to normal Wednesday.

Operations at Dallas Love Field were also getting back on track after being suspended for about two hours Tuesday night, airport spokesman Jose Torres said.  Flights at Dallas Love Field airport were halted about 8 p.m., and crews were scanning aircraft for hail damage.  Southwest Airlines spokesman Brad Hawkins said eight planes in Dallas suffered hail damage, which could lead to flight delays or cancellations. 

See Raw Video of Denton County Tornado: MyFoxDFW.com

Denton County is adjacent to (immedately west of) the county where we live, and the storms were moving eastward--toward us.