Dallas, Texas: Severe Storm Line Heads for Dallas Fort Worth Tonight, With 60 MPH Winds and Quarter Size Hail

A line of strong to severe storms will move across North and Central Texas on Monday evening and into the night, the National Weather Service in Fort Worth said in a forecast discussion issued at 2:05 a.m. CST on Monday, November 2. The system is the same one that caused historic flooding across the Southwest, FOX 4 reported. It now points at the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex hours before polls open for the Tuesday, November 3 midterm elections.

The timing

Storms will begin developing to the north and west between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Monday, FOX 4 said, and the system will move closer to the I-35 corridor by 10 p.m. The Weather Channel, in an update at 6:42 a.m. EST on Monday, placed Dallas, Oklahoma City and Kansas City in the highest threat area for severe weather across the Southern Plains. The National Weather Service put the chance of precipitation at 90 percent for Monday night in the Dallas area, with new rainfall amounts between half an inch and three quarters of an inch possible.

What the storms can do

The primary threat is damaging wind gusts up to 60 mph, which FOX 4 said can cause damage similar to a weak tornado. Large hail, up to the size of quarters, and localized flooding are also possible. The Weather Channel said tornadoes are possible across the Southern Plains and could reach EF2 strength or greater, and that pockets of heavy rainfall from the storms could also produce flooding. No storm damage in North Texas had been reported in the coverage reviewed on Monday morning, because the line had not yet arrived.

Election Day morning

The rain is expected to move out of the immediate Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex by the early morning commute at 4 a.m. on Tuesday, FOX 4 said. Voters in eastern and southeastern counties, stretching into East Texas, may still see rain when polls open around 7 a.m. FOX 4 said voters in eastern areas might consider waiting until the afternoon to cast their ballots, as the region will dry out quickly once the front passes.

After the front

Temperatures will drop from a high of 85 degrees on Monday to about 73 degrees behind the cold front, FOX 4 said. Following the storms, strong northwest winds up to 25 mph will dry out the area quickly. The rest of the week will have seasonal, comfortable conditions with highs in the 70s, and the region will remain mostly rain free, aside from a low rain chance along the Red River on Thursday.