North Texas has been battered by an especially active weather season this year, with severe storms causing significant damage and even loss of life. Tom Bradshaw, the Meteorologist in Charge at the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, shed light on the breadth and impact of this extreme weather during a recent interview.
"It's been an incredibly active spring, actually an incredibly active year so far, severe weather wise," Bradshaw said. He outlined how the National Weather Service has issued over 500 warnings year-to-date, which dramatically surpasses previous records set in 2015 and 2011.
"In May alone, we greatly exceeded the total number of warnings that we had ever issued for the month of May," Bradshaw added. "It was an incredibly active month."
The region has struggled with an array of severe weather phenomena, from devastating tornadoes to widespread wind damage and extensive flash flooding.
"We've had lines of storms that have moved through that have caused widespread wind damage," Bradshaw explained, adding that repetitive storms have brought "excessive rainfall on multiple occasions this spring."
One particularly harrowing instance was the tornado that struck northern parts of North Texas on May 25th. Bradshaw recounted how the storm developed into a supercell with rotating updrafts, making it one of the most violent forms of thunderstorms.
"Very quickly after that, it formed the first of...four tornadoes that came out of that storm as it tracked across North Texas," he said.
Tragically, the tornado, which was on the ground for 48 miles, claimed seven lives and caused widespread destruction in the Valley View area. Those deaths all occured in manufactured homes.
"Mobile homes are very challenged by tornadoes. They are easily damaged, even by weaker tornadoes and strong straight-line winds," Bradshaw emphasized.
He stressed the importance of having a safety plan and seeking substantial shelter when warnings are issued.
Just days later, on May 28th, North Texas faced another severe weather event in the early morning hours.
This time, a complex system of thunderstorms originating from Oklahoma caused significant wind damage. Hundreds of thousands of power outages were caused by winds of up to 95 miles per hour.
"What was unique about it...was just the degree of the structure of the organization of the thunderstorm allowed lots of momentum, lots of wind in the mid-levels immediately behind the flank of the storm," Bradshaw recounted.
Looking ahead, Bradshaw provided some insights into what North Texans can expect for the summer. While a slight moderation in high temperatures is anticipated due to the wet spring, he cautioned that the long summer ahead could still bring extreme heat.
"It's almost inevitable that we're gonna have 100-degree days at some point later in the summer," he said.
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