There is a large dry slot of air in the mid-atmosphere, so these thunderstorms may be of the low precipitation type. That means plenty of lightning but little rain, so wildfires may be started by lightning.

Due to the dry slot in the mid-atmosphere, these storms would be capable of high straight line winds, and some marginal severe hail.

...Damage survey update for the may 24th storms...

National Weather Service crews spent the day conducting additional
damage surveys from the thunderstorms which occurred on Tuesday
may 24th. The survey team started in northwestern Tarrant and
northeastern Parker counties...where damage was found in an area
bounded by Haslet...Azle...and Springtown. This damage was found
to be consistent with straight line damaging winds...approximately
75 to 85 mph.

The crew then assessed damage in Denton County and determined
there was one tornado...which occurred in the city limits of Denton.
This will decrease the preliminary number of tornadoes to 8 for
the afternoon and evening of may 24th.

The storm survey team assessed damage in the far southwestern
portion of the city of Denton. In this area...close to the Denton
and Argyle city limits boundary...substantial tornado damage was
found in numerous homes in a subdivision. Additional damage...consistent
with straight line winds were observed across the western portions
of the city of Corinth. 

The team spent additional time considering the photographs...video
...And eyewitness evidence of the Denton County damage. It has
been determined that the numerous reports of funnel clouds...tornadoes...and
damage in Corinth area were actually from the tornado which
occurred along the Denton/Argyle border...now commonly referred to
as the Argyle tornado.

The Denton tornado has been given a preliminary damage rating of
EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. Damage was found that was
consistent with wind speeds between 115 and 125 mph. The path
length of this tornado was approximately 1.2 miles...and had a
maximum path width of 220 yards.

While there will be undoubtedly other evidence and other damage
areas to consider...the total number of tornadoes now stands at 8
for the evening of may 24th. The listing of tornadoes and their
damage ratings are as follows:

A brief tornado was observed by spotters 2 miles southeast of St.
Jo. This tornado has been given a preliminary damage rating of
EF-0.

A brief tornado was observed by spotters 4 miles northeast of
Nocona...near Lake Nocona. This tornado has been given a
preliminary damage rating of EF-0.

A tornado was observed and photographed 2 miles southwest of
Gainesville. This tornado has been given a preliminary damage
rating of EF-0.

A brief tornado was observed by spotters 3 miles north of Rhome
in Wise County. This tornado has been given a preliminary rating
of EF-0.

A tornado occurred in Irving. This tornado has been given a
preliminary rating of EF-1. 

A tornado occurred in the far southwestern sections of
Denton...along the Denton and Argyle city limits. This tornado has
been given a preliminary rating of EF-2.

A tornado was observed by spotters near the intersection of I-20
and I-45 in southeast Dallas County...along the Trinity River
bottom. This tornado has been given a preliminary rating of EF-0.

A tornado was observed by spotters near Cedarville in Kaufman
County. This tornado has been given a preliminary rating of EF-0.

For the calendar year 2011 so far...there have now been 37
confirmed tornadoes in the 46 counties in the WFO Fort Worth area
of responsibility.

So far there have been two tornadoes known to occur within the Metroplex. One in Irving, rated an EF-1 which damaged houses and an apartment building. The second at Dallas Love field, but no damage occurred.

This is a radar snapshot from 01:25 Z / 8:25 pm CDT 5/24/11. Top left corner is standard reflectivity, top right is velocity, bottom left is maximum estimated hail size, bottom right is the altitude of the storm tops. Hail size estimates show 3.32 inch according to radar, with hail everywhere from 2 to 4.25 inches actually falling. The EF-1 tornado in Irving hit during the time of this radar snapshot, the small red square in the middle indicates the location of the tornado damage.

Below is the statement from the National Weather Service.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORT WORTH TX
317 PM CDT WED MAY 25 2011

...PRELIMINARY WIND DAMAGE ASSESSMENT FROM MAY 24TH...

A NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DAMAGE SURVEY TEAM CONTINUES TO ASSESS
WIND DAMAGE FROM THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING
OF MAY 24TH 2011. PRELIMINARY INFORMATION FROM DALLAS COUNTY
INDICATES THAT TREE DAMAGE AT AN APARTMENT COMPLEX IN THE OAK LAWN
AREA OF DALLAS WAS DUE TO STRAIGHT-LINE THUNDERSTORM WINDS. ONE
FATALITY WAS REPORTED AT THIS LOCATION DUE TO ELECTROCUTION WHERE
POWER LINES WERE DOWNED BY FALLING TREES.

A BRIEF TORNADO REPORTED AT DALLAS LOVE FIELD AIRPORT WAS VERY
LOCALIZED AND NO APPRECIABLE WIND DAMAGE HAS BEEN FOUND.

THE TEAM FOUND EVIDENCE OF AN EF-1 TORNADO IN IRVING BETWEEN 820
PM AND 840 PM CDT. THE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR THE INTERSECTION
OF BELTLINE AND CONFLANS AND TRAVELED ONE-HALF MILE TO NEAR THE
INTERSECTION OF STORY ROAD AND ROCK ISLAND. THE PATH WIDTH
AVERAGED 150 YARDS. MAXIMUM WINDS WERE BETWEEN 95 AND 105 MPH.
FOUR HOMES SUFFERED ROOF DAMAGE AND A NEARBY APARTMENT COMPLEX
LOST A PORTION OF ITS ROOF.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTINUES TO BE GATHERED FROM THE
WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORMS THAT OCCURRED TUESDAY. UPDATED
INFORMATION STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED AS NEEDED.

Other high wind and storm damage reports came in from Argyle and Corinth, just north of DFW. Houses were damaged in Saginaw and trees down near Wilmer.

I will try to update this post with more storm damage reports as they come in.

Additionally, I was able to capture a few pictures from the severe storms that rolled through here in Plano, TX. Unfortunately these pictures aren’t terribly remarkable in any way. Gallery available for viewing here.

24-May-2011 19:32PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K10D , 5.0, 18.0mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 400

Preliminary tornado reports from around the Metroplex:

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
   TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 356
   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
   1250 PM CDT TUE MAY 24 2011

   THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
   TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 

          WESTERN AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
          NORTHWEST AND NORTH-CENTRAL TEXAS

   EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 1250 PM UNTIL
   1000 PM CDT.

   ...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...

   DESTRUCTIVE TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...
   THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE
   POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

   THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 85 STATUTE
   MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 45 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF
   PONCA CITY OKLAHOMA TO 25 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF FORT WORTH
   TEXAS.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED
   WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU6).

   REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
   TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
   AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
   THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
   AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

   OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 352...WW 354...WW 355...

   DISCUSSION...TSTM INITIATION IS ANTICIPATED WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR OR
   TWO ALONG THE DRYLINE FROM WRN OK INTO W-CNTRL TX.  STRONG HEIGHT
   FALLS/DYNAMIC FORCING FOR ASCENT ASSOCIATED WITH NEGATIVELY TILTED
   MIDLEVEL TROUGH EMERGING INTO THE PLAINS SHOULD SUPPORT A RAPID
   INCREASE IN STORM COVERAGE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON.  WARM SECTOR AIR
   MASS IS CHARACTERIZED BY A VERY MOIST BOUNDARY LAYER WITH DEWPOINTS
   IN THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S.  WHEN COUPLED WITH STEEP MIDLEVEL
   LAPSE RATES...ENVIRONMENT IS MODERATELY TO STRONGLY UNSTABLE WITH
   MLCAPE VALUES OF 2500-4000 J/KG.  DEEP-LAYER SHEAR STRENGTHENING TO
   40-50 KT WILL PROMOTE RAPID SUPERCELL DEVELOPMENT WITH THE INITIAL
   HAZARD BEING VERY LARGE HAIL.  INITIAL VEER-BACK WIND PROFILE
   OBSERVED IN CURRENT VADS/PROFILERS IS EXPECTED TO TRANSITION TO
   LARGE CLOCKWISE CURVED HODOGRAPHS BY 00Z WHERE 0-1 KM SRH WILL
   APPROACH 400-500 M2/S2.  AS SUCH...EXPECT A RAPID INCREASE IN THE
   THREAT FOR TORNADOES THIS AFTERNOON INTO EVENING...SOME OF WHICH
   COULD BE LONG-TRACKED AND STRONG TO VIOLENT.

   AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
   SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
   WIND GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
   550. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 23035.

   ...MEAD

URGENT – IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 34
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
320 PM CDT WED MAR 24 2010

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

PART OF WEST CENTRAL  AND NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 320 PM UNTIL
1000 PM CDT.

HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER…THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70
MPH…AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 60
STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 30 MILES SOUTH
SOUTHWEST OF SAN ANGELO TEXAS TO 65 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF
DALLAS TEXAS.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE
ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU4).

REMEMBER…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY
DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.

DISCUSSION…STORMS ARE DEVELOPING ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT
MOVING EWD ACROSS NWRN TX.  AIR MASS HAS SUFFICIENTLY DESTABILIZED
WITH HEATING TO SUPPORT STRONG UPDRAFTS. WITH THE 40-50KT OF DEEP
LAYER SHEAR AND STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES A FEW OF THE STORMS ARE
EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE AS THEY CONTINUE E/NE INTO THE EVENING
HOURS.  PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE LARGE HAIL…HOWEVER THERE IS THE
POSSIBILITY OF A COUPLE OF SUPERCELLS GIVEN THE IMPROVING LOW LEVEL
SHEAR LATER THIS AFTERNOON…ACCOMPANIED BY A DAMAGING WIND THREAT
AS WELL AS LARGE HAIL.

AVIATION…A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT
TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 60
KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM
MOTION VECTOR 24030.

Thursday’s snowfall has brought our seasonal snowfall total to 14.4 inches, the 3rd snowiest winter on record for DFW. Had there been no other snowfall events this entire season, our winter would have still made the top five snowiest, wow! Below are snowfall totals reported as of 11:30pm 2/11/10.

The impacts from this snowfall will be felt quite heavily the morning of Friday February 12th with heavy snowfall accumulations on area roads, plus icing on roadways and bridges. Afternoon temperatures for Friday have been revised downward to 38 degrees. This means snow will melt significantly but not all of it will melt before re-freezing overnight through Saturday. Expect icing conditions Saturday morning as well. Saturday high temps will reach the 50s and any remaining snow will melt off.

Additionally, I walked around and snapped some great pictures with my camera this evening. I have attached the updated gallery below.

[nggallery id=84]

Public Information Statement issued by the National Weather Service as of Midnight 2/12/10:

...Snow event one for the record books...

At midnight...dfw Airport had recorded 11.2 inches of snow today.
This breaks the previous daily record for February 11 of 1.4 inches
set in 1988. This also breaks the previous 24-hour record for
February...7.5 inches on February 17, 1978 and February 25, 1924.

This is the greatest calendar-day snowfall total on record for
Dallas/Fort Worth. The previous record was 7.8 inches on January 15,
1964 and January 14, 1917.

This brings the seasonal snowfall total to 14.4 inches...which is
the 3rd highest seasonal total on record for Dallas/Fort Worth. This
is the snowiest winter in 32 seasons (since 1977-1978).

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Dallas/Fort Worth - snowiest seasons

   1   17.6   1977-78
   2   15.3   1963-64
   3   14.4   2009-10*
   4   13.5   1923-24
   5   10.4   1976-77
   6    9.5   1909-10
   7    9.2   1916-17
   8    8.8   1947-48
   9    8.1   1937-38
  10    7.3   1965-66
        7.3   1941-42

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Dallas/Fort Worth - most snow in February

   1   13.5   1978
   2   11.2   2010*
   3    7.5   1924

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Dallas/Fort Worth - greatest 24-hour snowfall totals

   1   12.1   January 15-16, 1964
   2   11.2   February 12, 2010*
   3    8.2   January 14-15, 1917
   4    7.5   February 17, 1978
        7.5   February 25, 1924
   6    6.0   March 13, 1924
   7    5.5   December 9, 1898
   8    5.0   November 22, 1937
        5.0   January 5, 1910
  10    4.7   November 13, 1976

--------------------------------------------------------------------

...Snow event one for the record books...

At 7 PM...dfw Airport had recorded 7.9 inches of snow today. This
breaks the previous daily record for February 11 of 1.4 inches set
in 1988. This also breaks the previous 24-hour record for
February...7.5 inches on February 17, 1978 and February 25, 1924.

This is the greatest calendar-day snowfall total on record for
Dallas/Fort Worth. The previous record was 7.8 inches on January 15,
1964 and January 14, 1917.

This brings the seasonal snowfall total to 11.1 inches...which is
the 4th highest seasonal total on record for Dallas/Fort Worth. This
is the snowiest winter in 32 seasons (since 1977-1978).

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Dallas/Fort Worth - snowiest seasons

   1   17.6   1977-78
   2   15.3   1963-64
   3   13.5   1923-24
   4   11.1   2009-10*
   5   10.4   1976-77
   6    9.5   1909-10
   7    9.2   1916-17
   8    8.8   1947-48
   9    8.1   1937-38
  10    7.3   1965-66
        7.3   1941-42

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Dallas/Fort Worth - most snow in February

   1   13.5   1978
   2    7.9   2010*
   3    7.5   1924

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Dallas/Fort Worth - greatest 24-hour snowfall totals

   1   12.1   January 15-16, 1964
   2    8.2   January 14-15, 1917
   3    7.9   February 11, 2010*
   4    7.5   February 17, 1978
        7.5   February 25, 1924
   6    6.0   March 13, 1924
   7    5.5   December 9, 1898
   8    5.0   November 22, 1937
        5.0   January 5, 1910
  10    4.7   November 13, 1976

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is the storm total rainfall amounts so far, this is since 1:21am Wednesday morning. Blue areas are reaching up to 5.8 inches of rainfall. The green polygons indicate current Flash Flood Warnings, the green and blue FFL icons indicate reports of Flash Flooding including road closures and high water rescues.