Dallas weather: Damage across North Texas, tornado touches down in Irving

DALLAS - Wind gusts that topped 70 miles per hour caused damage in parts of North Texas early Tuesday morning.

Those high winds caused nearly 300,000 power outages, mostly in Dallas, Tarrant, and Denton counties, around 6 a.m. according to Oncor. Those numbers have since dropped.

Irving tornado confirmed

The National Weather Service confirmed a brief EF-1 tornado touched down in Irving on Tuesday morning with winds topping out at 110 miles per hour.

What we know:

The area near N. O’Connor Road and W. Pioneer Drive in Irving suffered significant damage, and people are being asked to avoid that area.

The Irving Fire Department deemed de Zavala Middle School unsafe because of downed power lines and a gas leak. Irving ISD said the school will be closed on Tuesday. Irving High School and others released students early.

Video of an apartment complex across the street also showed downed power lines and a partial roof collapse. There were no reported injuries.

A secondary building for Irving PD also had some major roof damage.

No traffic was allowed on N. Connor Road between Rock Island Road and Union Bower Road or on Pioneer Drive between McArthur Boulevard and Ada Street.

The city has opened the Georgia Farrow Recreation Center on Davis Drive as a temporary shelter for anyone needing a place to stay.

Other possible tornadoes

What's next:

The National Weather Service is planning to survey damage in Wise and Hopkins counties on Wednesday.

Lewisville, another area that saw damage, is not expected to be surveyed.

Carrollton storm damage

It was a rude awakening for people in Carrollton when the storms moved through before 6 a.m.

Utility poles were snapped in half, fences were blown over, and several homes saw roof damage.

What they're saying:

Justin Hershberger says his family hid in a bathtub for the duration of the storm.

"All of a sudden you could hear it pick up getting louder and louder then the trees were almost at a 90-degree angle to their bases. You couldn't see anything but the house was shaking. the garage, all the tiles in the garage were shaking," said Hershberger. "It was really terrifying."

When it was safe to go outside, Hershberger got a look at the damage and saw part of his attic had been ripped open by the straight-line winds.

Down the street, neighbor Anna Valdez's fence was torn down by the winds.

"We came out getting ready to go to work and was surprised it was the whole fence down," said Valdez.

Far North Dallas storm damage

A home in Far North Dallas was damaged Tuesday morning after a power line crashed into it and started a fire.

What they're saying:

The Patel family says they heard the pole fall onto their house and a transformer explode.

The family was able to get out of their home in their University Place neighborhood home before it caught on fire.

A neighbor gave them a place to stay while firefighters worked to put out the flames.

"The whole house is a mess all of our belongings everything is gone," said Neil Patel.

Haltom City homes damaged

In Haltom City, a tree crashed into a home and damaged the roof and much of the inside of the home.

Homeowner Valeria Nelson expected Monday night’s storms to miss her home.

"It was like after 5 this morning, and I heard this horrible, horrible… I thought it was lightning striking," she recalled. 

Nelson believed the sound came from a neighbor’s barn, but it actually came from the other end of her house.

The severe winds uprooted a tree and sent it crashing into the den. She didn’t see the damage until a neighbor rushed over to make sure she and her husband were safe. 

Nelson was able to save a few things, but most everything inside the room was crushed and destroyed. 

Nelson said her family was over immediately to help with cleanup. She and her husband plan to stay in the home overnight.

The NWS says it doesn’t have current plans to survey the Haltom City damage.

Destruction in Cedar Hill

Antwon Dussett says his wife was sitting on their couch during Tuesday morning’s severe storm. She went to their bedroom moments before their roof collapsed.

"It fell down on the sofa actually, where my wife was sitting before that. So, luckily and thank God, she got up," he said. "

The couple and their children were not hurt, but their new home in Cedar Hill took a beating. 

Winds Tuesday afternoon — while not as intense as overnight — were still active as the roof was being repaired. There was a gaping hole earlier in the day. 

Their home took the brunt of damage in the Stone Hill neighborhood.

FOX 4 spotted downed fences and a downed street sign.

This neighbor escaped with what appears to be only damage to his roof shingles.

Storms damage Plano West High School, Grace Church

What we know:

High wind gusts knocked down trees and shopping center signs along Coit Road.

In Plano, the National Weather Service says gusts reached up to 76 miles per hour.

Part of the tin roof at Plano West Senior High School was ripped off and blown into the parking lot.

A post on social media by one of the school's football coaches suggested the damage affected the school's gym and locker rooms.

A little farther east on West Parker Road at Preston Road, Grace Church's security camera video captured the huge gusts knocking in the front doors, framing and windows.

The pastor says they still plan to be open for Wednesday's midweek service.

What we don't know:

Plano ISD hasn't yet said if anything inside Plano West was damaged.

Multiple overturned 18-wheelers

What we know:

Traffic reporter Chip Waggoner estimates there were at least seven accidents involving flipped 18-wheelers on Tuesday morning.

An 18-wheeler flipped on southbound Interstate 35E in Glenn Heights near the Dallas and Ellis county line as the storms passed through that area around 5:30 a.m.

Another big rig hauling an Amazon trailer overturned on southbound I-35W near Cross Timbers Road in Denton County.

FOX 4 reporter Payton May said the accident caused a backup for several miles.

What we don't know:

It’s not clear if anyone was hurt in the traffic accidents.

RVs damaged in Parker County

What we know:

The hurricane-strength winds turned over four RVs on the west side of Fort Worth.

It happened at the Crosswinds RV and Tiny Home Community, which is in Parker County.

Officials said at least one person was injured.

What they're saying:

"I was sitting in my camper, and I could hear someone screaming. I looked out with the flashlight. Couldn’t really see what was going on, but I could hear where it was coming from. Walking over and I seen her sitting on top of her turned over camper," said Colton Hudson, a resident. "Then I ran back to my camper and grabbed the ladder. Came over back to hers. Put the ladder up. She was so anxious to get down. She was trying to get down before the ladder was even up. But we got her down safely."

What we don't know:

The injured person was taken to the hospital. It’s not clear how serious her injuries are.

Lewisville warehouse structure collapses

What we know:

Part of a warehouse in east Lewisville suffered significant damage.

It happened at the Benjamin Moore paint warehouse in the 2500 block of E. State Highway 121 near Denton Tap Road.

Video showed building insulation and roof debris scattered across the parking lot.

What they're saying:

"It looks like someone just went in there and just scooped the whole thing out. You can almost see clear through the other side of the building. Everything was hanging down. The water main was busted gushing out water. There's debris everywhere," said Roland Castenada, an eyewitness.

"I heard this very loud noise and I look behind me. And there's just debris everywhere in the sky and a tornado right there behind my truck. So it was very intense," said Joseph Kelly, a nearby business owner.

What we don't know:

It's not clear if anyone was in the building at the time or if anyone was injured.

The National Weather Service will investigate to determine if the damage was caused by a brief tornado or straight-line winds.

Kennedale Junior High School fire

What we know:

Kennedale ISD said it appears the storms caused a fire at the junior high school. That school is closed for the day.

What we don't know:

There's no word yet on how much damage the fire caused.

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