A powerful storm system tore through North Texas on Sunday evening, leaving at least one person critically injured, toppling RVs, overturning semitrucks, and damaging warehouses in Denton County.
The storms, accompanied by golf ball-sized hail and strong winds, also caused destruction in Collin and Grayson counties.
Denton County officials reported receiving calls about possible tornado rotation around 5:25 p.m., followed by rapid reports of damage. At the Walmart Distribution Center on Lois Road in Sanger, approximately 10 miles north of Denton, a 45- to 50-foot hole was torn in the roof. No injuries were reported, and employees were sent home. At another warehouse on 6100 N. Stemmons Freeway, the walls and the roof collapsed, with no injuries.
Across the highway at the Sanger Denton North KOA Journey Campsite, several RVs were overturned.
Clinton Frye, a camper at the site, described the ordeal to NBC 5 DFW: “The sky got dark, the wind started blowing, and it started raining hard.”
Frye and his dog were inside his camper when it began to move.
“It started flipping, and I think we rolled three to four times. I landed on my back, looking up, and rain was coming down on me. My dog, actually, I couldn’t find him for a second, so I tried to jump up and look around, the whole place was pretty trashed,” he said.
Frye, who sustained injuries including head trauma, praised the response: “The neighbors showed up and it was storming and man, they were being heroes.”
He later noted, “I know I have blood on the back of my head. I smashed my head quite a bit rolling, flipping over, and now my back and legs, everything is starting to hurt, like if I was in a car crash.”
Frye expressed gratitude, saying, “I’m happy for good neighbors and people coming and helping me and my dog, and fire department was great, police and thankful for good people. I’m happy to be alive, I’m happy for insurance, and I think everything will be alright.”
Another person at the campsite was critically injured and transported to Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton, NBC 5 reported.
Around the same time, three 18-wheelers were overturned by strong winds on northbound I-35E south of Sanger at Ganzer Road, prompting first responders to close the highway. One of the trucks pinned two cars when it overturned on top of them. No injuries were reported from the truck incidents, but traffic was reportedly backed up for miles until the wreckage was cleared.
The City of Keller reported an overturned tractor-trailer rig on westbound Highway 170 between Highway 114 and Parrish and road closures due to flash flooding.
The Denton County Office of Emergency Management activated its Emergency Operations Center and deployed its “Goliath” mobile communications command center to Sanger to support response efforts. Electrical outages affected much of the area Sunday night, knocking out power to more than 3,700 customers.
In Collin and Grayson counties, residents reported significant damage from hail and winds, including broken windows and battered backyards, as captured in pictures and videos posted online.
A cold front is expected to arrive in North Texas on Tuesday afternoon, bringing another chance of scattered storms, some of which may be severe, capable of producing damaging wind gusts, large hail, and heavy rain. The chance of storms will continue through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.