A very active stretch of North Texas weather kicks off later today and runs through early Friday morning.
Today (Wednesday): Scattered showers and thunderstorms will begin developing this afternoon, mainly west of I-35. A sharp dryline will set up across the Big Country and western North Texas late this afternoon and evening. Any storms that manage to form along or just east of that dryline (generally west of a Graham, Mineral Wells, Stephenville line) will have the potential to become severe, with large hail (some possibly golf-ball size or larger) and damaging wind gusts as the primary threats. Tornado risk appears very low, but not completely zero in those far western counties.
Overnight: scattered showers and a few rumbles of thunder will continue across the region, but widespread severe weather is not expected.
Thursday: Rain coverage increases significantly, especially from mid-morning onward. The Thursday morning commute across the DFW Metroplex will likely be wet, with periods of moderate to heavy rain at times. The evening commute looks even wetter – widespread rain and embedded heavy downpours are expected across North Texas during the afternoon and evening drive. Ponding on roadways, low-visibility, and hydroplaning will all be concerns.
Rain gradually tapers off from west to east late Thursday night into early Friday morning as the upper-level system finally pulls away.
Rainfall Totals (through early Friday morning):
- Most of the DFW Metroplex and areas east: 1.5–3 inches common
- Isolated higher amounts of 3–5 inches possible, especially in areas that see repeated rounds of heavy rain or training storms
Bottom line: Keep the umbrella handy the next 36 hours, plan for extra travel time Thursday (especially the evening commute), and stay weather-aware this evening if you live in our far western counties. We’ll keep you updated hour-by-hour as this active pattern unfolds!