Severe storms just missed North Texas this weekend, but more are on the horizon.
Severe weather was predicted to be possible for North Texas as showers and storms pushed across the region along with a cold front. As a meteorologist from the National Weather Service in Fort Worth told The Dallas Express, this cold front was part of the winter storm that hit the northern part of the United States.
Steven Fano, also with the NWS, recently told The Dallas Express that the effects of this latest storm were largely unnoticed across North Texas, save for some gusty winds. These winds, however, did bring with them dust and dirt that covered cars and other vehicles in the morning hours of February 27.
“We did have some wind gusts that exceeded 58 miles per hour in parts of our area, but they were pretty isolated events,” said Fano in a phone interview.
While the metroplex was spared, several tornadoes touched down north of the state. A string of nine tornadoes touched down across Kansas and Oklahoma, resulting in 12 injuries, downed trees, and damage to homes, according to ABC News.
The NWS predicted that a greater chance of severe storms will return to North Texas from March 1 to March 2. The agency predicted that the best chance of severe weather will occur on March 2 east of I-35. The main concerns will be hail, gusty winds in excess of 60 miles per hour, and a few tornadoes.
The month of February produces the lowest number of tornados for the state of Texas with an average of three, according to a Policy Genius analysis stretching back to 1997. However, this number will begin to climb as tornado season draws closer.
“Based on the way, just the way things look, we’re getting to that time of year that you can never really totally rule out a tornado,” said Fano.