A newly updated assessment from the National Weather Service states that five tornadoes touched down across North Texas in the span of a little more than six hours on the night of May 25.
Three of the twisters touched down in the DFW metroplex.
The tornadoes ranged from EF1 to EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. An EF0 has winds ranging from 65 to 85 mph, while an EF3 has winds ranging from 135 to 165 mph.
The first tornado of the evening sprung up near Cross Plains in Eastland County at 5:42 p.m. It traveled 2.46 miles before dissipating at 5:48 p.m. Rated an EF2, the tornado caused significant damage to several structures and trees in the area. A family of three survived after abandoning their RV trailer to take shelter behind a small building. The RV was completely destroyed.
The tornado with the longest path traveled 47.31 miles, tearing through Montague, Cooke, and Denton counties. It began at 9:39 p.m. near Bowie and dissipated at 11:15 p.m. in Pilot Point. At various points along its route, it fluctuated in intensity between an EF0 and an EF3, causing considerable damage along the way. The tornado struck a mainly manufactured and mobile home community along West Lone Oak Road. Seven deaths and an estimated 100 injuries were linked to this tornado.
A short-lived EF1 tornado sprung up in the southwest area of Ray Roberts Lake, impacting the marina and several homes in the area. One home lost nearly its entire roof. The twister traveled about 1.42 miles in about a minute before dissipating.
Another tornado struck near Celina in Collin County, cutting a swath along 8.31 miles, with winds peaking at 95 mph. The tornado began around 11:20 p.m. According to NWS, there may have been two tornadoes — one that tracked from northwest of Celina to south of Weston and a short-lived satellite tornado that impacted the hardest-hit area around Prairie Meadow Drive and Myrtle Drive.
The satellite tornado began around 11:23 p.m. and caused significant damage to a few homes along Prarie Meadow Lane, north of Celina. Several other homes also sustained EF2 or EF1 damage along the street. The rating on the smaller satellite tornado was a high-end EF3.
The tracked tornado, rated an EF1, damaged trees, metal buildings, and telephone poles along its path before dissipating at 11:31 p.m.
Another tornado was tracked in Celeste in Hunt County. It was rated an EF1 with max wind speeds of 90 mph. The tornado was brief and began around 12:15 a.m. just west of FM 36, Private Road 1184, and CR 1096.
The twister destroyed multiple barns and farm outbuildings on a property near the roadway and damaged the roofs of several nearby single-family residences. Trees in a wooded area were damaged, and the front porch was ripped off a home on CR 1097. The tornado lifted over open land on CR 1096 at around 12:17 a.m.
A couple of days later, on the morning of May 28, severe weather hit the DFW area once again. A severe thunderstorm, accompanied by strong winds, snapped tree limbs, felled trees and power lines, flooded roads and low-lying areas, damaged buildings, and left thousands without power, as The Dallas Express reported.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins issued a disaster declaration following Tuesday’s thunderstorm. As of late afternoon on May 31, approximately 58,200 utility customers were still without power in Dallas County, according to a social media post by Jenkins.
For residents wondering how to dispose of their fallen trees and shrubbery, the Dallas Zoo is offering a unique solution to help turn “lemons” into “lemonade.” The zoo uses freshly downed tree limbs and shrubs as fodder for its animals. Zoo creatures such as elephants and giraffes eat hundreds of pounds of twigs, leaves, and shrubs every day.
“We’re always looking for fresh, healthy donations of recently trimmed or felled landscaping from our local community,” the Dallas Zoo website reads.
Through the zoo’s Browse program, local residents can donate tree branches with leafy greens still attached. The zoo website gives more details on the types of tree limbs and shrubbery it will accept. The zoo will even pick up the leafy donations for residents living within specified zip code areas.
The donate form is required to arrange a pickup time via the zoo website.