Update, Wednesday afternoon: Areas to the north of Dallas-Fort Worth were hit hardest by Tuesday night's storms. The National Weather Service confirms that three tornadoes hit Grayson County, including an EF1 in Whitesboro, an EF0 near Bells and an EF1 near Howe.
The Howe tornado had winds of 95-100 mph, while the Bells tornado had winds of 80-85 mph, and the Whitesboro tornado had winds of 85-90 mph.
Five injuries have been reported, according to the Grayson County Office of Emergency Management. Howe Police Chief Carl Hudman says four people were injured when vehicles they were in were caught up in a tornado that hit the town.
No deaths have been reported.
The Howe school district is closed Wednesday due to the storms. Denison High School is also closed.
The weather service says there was a report of a 90 mph wind gust in Sherman. There were reports of power outages in Whitesboro, the Sherman Herald Democrat reports:
Most of the wind gusts that hit [Grayson] county were between 60 and 70 mph, but they were damaging. In Whitesboro, an apartment and office building had damage reported to roofs. A vehicle was blown off the road three miles southwest of Gordonville. Power lines were reported as down, and tree limbs blocked multiple roadways across the county.
The Grayson County Office of Emergency Management says there have been many reports of power lines down on roads. Officials are assessing the damage. Shelters had been opened, but are now closed.
Typical of the #tornado damage surveyed so far near Bells, in Grayson County. @GraysonCounty #dfwwx #txwx pic.twitter.com/Z7KMXttE6X
— NWS Fort Worth (@NWSFortWorth) April 27, 2016
Update 9:30 p.m.: A tornado watch is in effect until midnight for Dallas-Fort Worth, including Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton counties.
Meanwhile, a severe thunderstorm watch is in effect until 5 a.m. Wednesday for several counties to the south and east of Dallas-Fort Worth.
A severe thunderstorm warning has been issued for Denton and Tarrant counties until 10:15 p.m.
Update 8:45 p.m.: Strong storms with 60 mph winds have raced across the western counties of North Texas throughout Tuesday evening.
A line of storms stretched from Wichita Falls down to Brownwood. Severe thunderstorm warnings were in effect until 9:15 p.m. for Montague County and until 9:30 p.m. for Parker County and Wise County
The storms could hit Dallas-Fort Worth around 10-10:30 p.m.
Our earlier post: Severe weather is on its way to North Texas. Severe thunderstorms are expected to develop through the early evening hours – mainly west of Interstate 35.
Then the storms will move through the rest of the region later tonight.
The National Weather Service says we can expect large hail – potentially as big as baseballs. Damaging winds are possible – and we could even get a few tornadoes.
A tornado watch is in effect until midnight for much of the KERA listening area – that includes Tarrant, Denton, Collin, Dallas and Rockwall counties.
Several school districts are cancelling several events tonight before the storms roll through.
What will happen when?
The weather service says storms could hit Dallas-Fort Worth around 8 p.m. – and last until 2 a.m. The storm could arrive by 11 p.m. for cities southeast of a line from Athens, Waco and Temple.
The weather service says the biggest concern at the moment is large hail. That’s because the storms could be able to support updraft speeds greater than 100 mph. That’s enough to support hail the size of baseballs.
Build your own tornado kit
You can find an interactive checklist to build your own tornado kit on our One Crisis Away website.
National Weather Service radar
Red Cross needs help
The American Red Cross is looking for more volunteers. The group needs help in its shelters feeding and helping storm victims. Existing volunteers are stretched thin due to the string of recent severe storms in Dallas-Fort Worth. Visit the Red Cross site for more details – and to sign up to volunteer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
