speed reported that quals have been canceled. Having looked at the radar, there is a possibly rotating cell heading for the Justin area (+- 5 miles of TMS). The track might be getting emptied out?
qualifying called off, track being emptied?
- Thread starter Magnethead
- Start date
The track sounded the warning sirens. All personal/fans, teams, etc. were told to get to shelter NOW ! !
TORNADO WARNING FOR TARRANT COUNTY
STORM SPOTTERS REPORTING ROTATION AND AIRBORNE DEBRIS 7 MILE SSE OF TMS
sirens activated in tarrant
STORM SPOTTERS REPORTING ROTATION AND AIRBORNE DEBRIS 7 MILE SSE OF TMS
sirens activated in tarrant
N
nextelmom
Guest
I hope all was okay!!
buckaroo
Here kitty, kitty, kitty
Hope all y'all are fine. Don't mess with those tornadoes for sure.
2 or 3 tornadoes reported one possibly forming as it approaches errel. Ground crews are covering damage control before a second possiblle band comes through. No news from track as of yet.
TRL and I are probably closest to the track. Maj is AT the track i believe so if she had a laptop and air card she'd probably have the best report.
TRL do you have her cell number, keep contact with her?
TRL do you have her cell number, keep contact with her?
I sure hopeMaj iss OK!
No, MH, I don't have her cell.
I'm not worried, she has enough sense not to stay in the camper. I'm sure she took cover with everyone else.
From the looks of the radar, the track missed the worst of the stuff.
I'm not worried, she has enough sense not to stay in the camper. I'm sure she took cover with everyone else.
From the looks of the radar, the track missed the worst of the stuff.
Whew! Thanks TRL
From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
At least 5 tornadoes touched down in Tarrant County
Haltom City suffers heavy damage from the fast-moving storms.
By BRYON OKADA and BILL MILLER
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITERS
At least five tornadoes touched down in Tarrant County during a fast-moving severe thunderstorm that rolled through Friday evening, pelting residents with large hail and high winds.
National Weather Service officials confirmed a tornado touched down near the intersection of Loop 820 and Interstate 30.
Local emergency management officials were also working at the scenes of various tornado reports in Tarrant County: in Benbrook; north of downtown Fort Worth; in the Haltom City area, near Beach Street and Texas 121; in the Bedford/Euless area, along Interstate 183; and in Arlington, along Texas 360 and Trinity Boulevard In addition, large hail and high winds battered Tarrant County.
Several unconfirmed preliminary reports of tornadoes along Loop 820 were reported from various sources.
Near Haltom High School, tennis ball-sized hail fell onto motorists. Desperate motorists veered to the side of the road, looking for quick shelter. A funnel cloud was clearly visible near the Loop 820 and Beach Street intersection.
The storm rolled by quickly.
In Haltom City, several houses were heavily damaged on Oak View Drive, between Haltom Road and Beach Street north of Texas 121.
The roof was ripped off a grocery store and several semi-trailers were overturned.
Traffic was still at a standstill on Texas 121 at 7:30 p.m., about an hour after the storm tore through Haltom City. Traffic lights were out on the access road, and emergency workers were clearing toppled trees off of the tops of cars. The metal roof of a house was wrapped around a light pole, and a billboard had been torn from the posts and deposited in the branches of a tree.
At the South Haltom Community Church on Wheeler, the steeple was blown off the roof and across the street, landing in a front yard. The church’s playground equipment also was blown across the street and came to rest next to a garage apartment.
At the racetrack
At Texas Motor Speedway, racing fans camping out for this weekend’s NASCAR races took shelter even before the city’s sirens began to sound, said Juan Ortiz, emergency management coordinator for Fort Worth and Tarrant County.
“There were reports of large hail and high winds in Tarrant County,” Ortiz said. “There were reports of tornadoes, some of them touching down momentarily.”
Large hail pocked the landscape from Keller to Arlington.
At 6:30 p.m., however, the storm had largely moved on and emergency sirens were blaring in Dallas County.
Tarrant County emergency officials were getting ready to assess damage and conduct any life-and-rescue operations, Ortiz said.
Earlier Friday afternoon, a tornado sighting was reported out of Young County, which is about 100 miles west of Fort Worth, but NWS meteorologists had not confirmed it.
At one point, hail the size of golf balls — and some larger — smashed roofs and busted out car windshield throughout the Baylor County city of Seymour. There was so much of it, Ray Lynn Moore said, the ground was white, as though it had snowed.
“It was a bad one,” said Moore, owner of Moore Used Cars, standing outside a home he is trying to sell — a home now featuring several broken windows. The story at his used car lot was much the same. Broken windows. Dented hoods. “I’m in trouble.”
Just before 3 p.m., rain and hail pelted Baylor County as a system of severe thunderstorms crept eastward, closer to the Metroplex.
Well after 4:30 p.m., some of the larger hail was still on the ground, unmelted.
At Texas Motor Speedway, practice for the Nextel Cup Series was postponed twice because of rain.
Practice was red-flagged briefly at 12:45 p.m. Drivers were able to restart just before 1 p.m., but they got red-flagged again at about five minutes later.
Relief from the severe weather is expected to come late tonight, possibly after midnight, as a cold front rolls in and displaces the moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, a key ingredient to the severe weather.
Cool temperatures will be left in the wake of the storms.
The revised forecast for Saturday calls for sunny skies, but a high temperature of only about 57 degrees, with a nighttime low of about 38 degrees.
Sunday will also be clear, but a little warmer, with a high of 68 and a low of about 47.
"There may even be some patchy frost on Sunday morning,’’ Moore said. "Winter doesn’t want to give up yet.’’
Staff writers Bill Hanna, Rick Herrin and Dan X. McGraw contributed to this report.
--------------
The tornadoes were south and east of the Speedway.
At least 5 tornadoes touched down in Tarrant County
Haltom City suffers heavy damage from the fast-moving storms.
By BRYON OKADA and BILL MILLER
STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITERS
At least five tornadoes touched down in Tarrant County during a fast-moving severe thunderstorm that rolled through Friday evening, pelting residents with large hail and high winds.
National Weather Service officials confirmed a tornado touched down near the intersection of Loop 820 and Interstate 30.
Local emergency management officials were also working at the scenes of various tornado reports in Tarrant County: in Benbrook; north of downtown Fort Worth; in the Haltom City area, near Beach Street and Texas 121; in the Bedford/Euless area, along Interstate 183; and in Arlington, along Texas 360 and Trinity Boulevard In addition, large hail and high winds battered Tarrant County.
Several unconfirmed preliminary reports of tornadoes along Loop 820 were reported from various sources.
Near Haltom High School, tennis ball-sized hail fell onto motorists. Desperate motorists veered to the side of the road, looking for quick shelter. A funnel cloud was clearly visible near the Loop 820 and Beach Street intersection.
The storm rolled by quickly.
In Haltom City, several houses were heavily damaged on Oak View Drive, between Haltom Road and Beach Street north of Texas 121.
The roof was ripped off a grocery store and several semi-trailers were overturned.
Traffic was still at a standstill on Texas 121 at 7:30 p.m., about an hour after the storm tore through Haltom City. Traffic lights were out on the access road, and emergency workers were clearing toppled trees off of the tops of cars. The metal roof of a house was wrapped around a light pole, and a billboard had been torn from the posts and deposited in the branches of a tree.
At the South Haltom Community Church on Wheeler, the steeple was blown off the roof and across the street, landing in a front yard. The church’s playground equipment also was blown across the street and came to rest next to a garage apartment.
At the racetrack
At Texas Motor Speedway, racing fans camping out for this weekend’s NASCAR races took shelter even before the city’s sirens began to sound, said Juan Ortiz, emergency management coordinator for Fort Worth and Tarrant County.
“There were reports of large hail and high winds in Tarrant County,” Ortiz said. “There were reports of tornadoes, some of them touching down momentarily.”
Large hail pocked the landscape from Keller to Arlington.
At 6:30 p.m., however, the storm had largely moved on and emergency sirens were blaring in Dallas County.
Tarrant County emergency officials were getting ready to assess damage and conduct any life-and-rescue operations, Ortiz said.
Earlier Friday afternoon, a tornado sighting was reported out of Young County, which is about 100 miles west of Fort Worth, but NWS meteorologists had not confirmed it.
At one point, hail the size of golf balls — and some larger — smashed roofs and busted out car windshield throughout the Baylor County city of Seymour. There was so much of it, Ray Lynn Moore said, the ground was white, as though it had snowed.
“It was a bad one,” said Moore, owner of Moore Used Cars, standing outside a home he is trying to sell — a home now featuring several broken windows. The story at his used car lot was much the same. Broken windows. Dented hoods. “I’m in trouble.”
Just before 3 p.m., rain and hail pelted Baylor County as a system of severe thunderstorms crept eastward, closer to the Metroplex.
Well after 4:30 p.m., some of the larger hail was still on the ground, unmelted.
At Texas Motor Speedway, practice for the Nextel Cup Series was postponed twice because of rain.
Practice was red-flagged briefly at 12:45 p.m. Drivers were able to restart just before 1 p.m., but they got red-flagged again at about five minutes later.
Relief from the severe weather is expected to come late tonight, possibly after midnight, as a cold front rolls in and displaces the moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, a key ingredient to the severe weather.
Cool temperatures will be left in the wake of the storms.
The revised forecast for Saturday calls for sunny skies, but a high temperature of only about 57 degrees, with a nighttime low of about 38 degrees.
Sunday will also be clear, but a little warmer, with a high of 68 and a low of about 47.
"There may even be some patchy frost on Sunday morning,’’ Moore said. "Winter doesn’t want to give up yet.’’
Staff writers Bill Hanna, Rick Herrin and Dan X. McGraw contributed to this report.
--------------
The tornadoes were south and east of the Speedway.
If anyone hears from Maj, please post that she is OK. Tornado's are nothing to mess with. I've lived through 1 and that's 1 to many for me. All you Texans keep safe !
ditto that. I've been through my share of straightline winds.
kelloggs5TLfan
Team Owner
I hope Maj and everyone stays safe.
local ABC reporter said fans on the concourse were put in bathrooms when storm first came for 20 minutes, when second band came around 8 everybody was mostly in heir campers or otherwise gone.
I wonder for those in campers and (eek)tents. All they have to run to are porta-potties.
I wonder for those in campers and (eek)tents. All they have to run to are porta-potties.
There are some concrete/brick shower buildings out in the campgrounds, too, that could be used.
N
nextelmom
Guest
Sorry you all have a friend there in that mess. My thoughts are with all of you that everyone is safe.
D
Digger
Guest
I was watching WFAA all night. Glad the tracks intact. We've got coastal flood warnings and flood watches in effect everywhere. They're calling for winds in excess of 70 miles an hour
Tornado hit too close to 5 years ago for this weather. SNOW is also possible, IN THE MIDDLE OF APRIL! I've been through enough of these storms.
Got dumped on at Dover, 2 minutes after the race ended, vortex closed and a storm pounded the area. We were under the bleachers and still being soaked. Only about 5 dry spots for us, and they were all taken up. Most everybody left before the final lap ended seeing the impending storms. The clouds were over us ready to just ready to strike us with lightning for 200 laps or so, waited until the race was over.
Just wanted to say you folks are the bestest! Thanks for the worries, and I have a laptop but no aircard or I would have checked in to let all know: We weathered the storm just fine. We packed up the pooches, a couple of adult beverages and some water and headed for the bathroom/showers near the campground. We only had to stay for about 30 minutes as when the storm approached it was if it split in two and went north and south of the speedway. All we got was some rain and some pretty good winds. AND, then it got COLD!
So happy all was OK, maj! That 30 minutes must have seemed like an eternity at the time, and very scarey!
Yes it did, kat. Especially when the sky was ripe for funnel clouds and tornadoes like the one that hit Haltom City, TX, about 25 miles from the track. We were actually able to see the beginning of a funnel cloud but it went back up into the clouds before the storm went in different directions.
A tornado tore up a whole LONG path only 1/2 mile from us a few years ago! SCARED THE POOP outa me!
Thank the Almighty for adult beverages!
Thank the Almighty for adult beverages!
My friend and his church group was on their way to fort worth..they were UNDER a funnel going down 35....he said it was controlled chaos inside the bus