Hailstones up to 3 inches wide and 2 deadly tornadoes hit parts of the Dallas-Fort Worth area
North Texas residents barely had time to prepare before a powerful storm system moved through the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, bringing large hail, dangerous winds and, for some communities, the kind of destruction that does not wash away easily.
The Storm Prediction Center upgraded its severe weather risk assessment for the DFW area this afternoon, April 28, 2026, citing an elevated threat of large hail as atmospheric conditions became increasingly favorable for intense storm development. Local broadcaster WFAA elevated its Weather Alert Day status in response, warning that while not every corner of the metroplex would see equal impacts, certain storms had the potential to grow especially dangerous.
What the storms brought and where they hit hardest
The threat proved real. Hail reports submitted to the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office showed stones ranging from 1 inch to 3 inches in diameter, with the highest density of large hailstones concentrated in the western half of Fort Worth. Mountain Creek Lake, situated between Grand Prairie and Cockrell Hill, recorded the largest stones at 3 inches wide. The rest of Arlington and southwest Dallas largely received smaller but still significant hail.
Rainfall totals told a similarly uneven story across the region. DFW International Airport, the official measurement point for the area, recorded just 0.1 inches of rain Saturday night. Fort Worth and Arlington, however, each saw more than 2 inches, and the Dallas Executive Airport also logged over 2 inches. Most locations within Dallas city limits received half an inch or less.
2 tornadoes confirmed, 2 deaths reported
The storms extended well beyond the core of the metroplex. Further west, 2 tornadoes touched down in Parker and Wise counties as part of the same system. The stronger of the 2 was classified as an EF-2 tornado, with estimated wind speeds of 130 miles per hour.
The human toll was equally sobering. Two deaths were confirmed in connection with the storms, with fatalities reported near Springtown and Runaway Bay. Authorities identified one of the victims as a 69-year-old woman.
A pattern of storms in an already wet April
Forecasters had warned residents to expect the most intense activity during the evening commute, with initial thunderstorm development projected to begin between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. local time before spreading more widely through the rush hour window. The advisory proved accurate, as the system intensified through the afternoon and evening hours, creating hazardous travel conditions across a wide stretch of North Texas.
The outbreak is part of a broader pattern of unsettled weather that has defined much of the month. Nearly half of the days in April 2026 recorded at least trace amounts of precipitation at DFW Airport, making it one of the wetter stretches the region has seen in recent memory. Residents and emergency managers alike have had little reprieve between storm cycles, and forecasters have encouraged the public to stay engaged with live weather updates as the season continues.