Storm Damage Reported As Severe Weather Hits North Texas

(This post will be updated throughout the day.) 1:50 p.m.: The tornado warning has ended for Van Zandt County. Skies are clearing up in parts of North Texas, but there's a chance of more storms developing later tonight. 

Meanwhile, National Weather Service crews are surveying damage from last night's storms near Cool. 

12:58 p.m.: The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for Van Zandt County until 1:30 p.m. 

A severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located 10 miles north of Athens. That storm is expected to pass near Van at about 1:20 p.m. A tornado touched down in Van last year, killing two and injuring dozens. 

Original post:

Four people were injured in Hood County as a storm moved from Tolar to Cresson along U.S. 377, Hood County Sheriff Roger Deeds told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The National Weather Service confirmed to KERA the storm was a tornado.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Hood, Parker, Johnson and Tarrant counties at about 7:45 a.m. Storm damage reported so far has come from those counties and other parts of North Texas.

There have been reports of damage to homes in The Colony and Weatherford, as well as damage to 3-5 mobile homes in Granbury. In Stephenville, Tarleton State University will delay opening until 1 p.m. due to storm damage in the press box at the university’s football stadium.

Oncor reported more than 39,000 outages across North Texas as of 10:30 a.m. That number decreased to a litter under 19,000 by noon.

Video of a possible tornado in Tolar, located in Hood County. 

High water rescue

Emergency personnel waded through thigh-deep water to rescue children from a Denton ISD school bus caught on a flooded road this morning.

KXAS-TV reports the bus, with a driver and several children, were trapped near Aubrey, 40 miles northwest of Dallas. The children were carried to safety.

Flooding’s also been reported in parts of Denton, Cottondale, Boyd, Bridgeport, Paradise, Decatur and Chico. 

The forecast

Thunderstorms are likely across all of North and Central Texas through tonight. Some of these storms could become severe with quarter to half-dollar sized hail and damaging winds, with a chance for flash flooding as well. 

“[The storms] won’t be all day,” Eric Martello with the National Weather Service says. “This first system will probably affect the western half of North Texas this morning and then more thunderstorms will develop ahead of this thing and from DFW eastward later this afternoon and evening, so it’s a very slow-moving system.”

Forecasters believe the likelihood of tornadoes will increase in the evening.

“The big problem will be with this first system that comes through during the morning hours and through midday today and how it affects the atmosphere,” says Martello.

Another round of rain and storms is expected overnight. Damaging winds and isolated tornadoes are possible. 

A severe thunderstorm, possibly a tornado, damaged at least seven homes scattered over a rural area of North Texas last night.

The Weatherford Democrat reports buildings were damaged on both sides of U.S 180 about a half-mile east of Cool, about 40 miles west of Fort Worth. Some vehicles were damaged by flying debris, but no injuries were reported.

Martello says the National Weather Service has not confirmed whether the storm was a tornado.  

What's in your tornado kit? Do you have one? 

KERA is following four families trying to rebuild their lives after the Dec. 26 tornadoes tore through North Texas. Here's a checklist of what you need to build your tornado kit. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.