By Matt Alto, Meteorologist
Apr 4, 2012; 5:50 PM ET
One day after tornadic thunderstorms barreled through the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, assessment and cleanup of the destruction has begun across many of the communities in the region.The storms provided a destructive reminder that the region is in its peak severe weather season. April is statistically the worst of the severe weather season that spans from March to June across North Texas.
Preliminary rating of the Forney tornado that struck April 3, 2012.
**Preliminary ratings of tornadoes from the Fort Worth NWS office: EF-3 damage with estimated winds of 150 mph was found with the tornado that hit Forney and Rockwall Counties. EF-2 tornado damage with estimated winds of 130 mph was found in Lancaster, Dallas and Hutchins. EF-2 damage was found in Kennedale and Arlington.**
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As the tornadoes ripped through the Dallas area, they peeled roofs off homes, sent tractor trailers flying into the air and left thousands of people without power.
According to the electric provider ONCOR, approximately 10,600 customers are without power across North Texas as of early Wednesday morning from the outbreak of twisters.
The NWS Survey Team posted this damage photo on the NWS Fort Worth Facebook Page. This is a photo of EF-3 damage near the intersection of Ridgecrest and FM-548 in Forney, Texas. All of the walls of a single family residence collapsed. This is tornado damage from the Forney Tornado that occurred Monday afternoon April 3, 2012.Despite the strong and powerful nature of the storms, no fatalities or serious injuries were being reported at this time. However, several people were treated for minor injuries.
Meanwhile, hundreds of flights were canceled at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport due to the storms, while many incoming flights had to be diverted to other nearby airports.
American Airlines canceled more than 450 arriving and departing flights at their Dallas-Fort Worth hub.
According to the Associated Press, Dallas-Fort Worth Airport spokesman David Magana said that more than 110 planes were damaged by hail as the storms moved through. It wasn't clear how many belonged to American Airlines, but American and American Eagle had pulled 101 planes out of service for hail-damage inspections.
Flights were also canceled at Dallas Love Field, which is a major hub for Southwest Airlines. Southwest canceled more than 45 flights in and out of the airport.
Storm surveys are planned for Wednesday. Three teams from the National Weather Service will conduct these surveys across North Texas. Preliminary information regarding the damage assessments will be released once the surveys are complete.
While the exact number of tornadoes which touched down in North Texas Wednesday is not known at this time, an estimated 8 to 13 twisters may have crossed parts of the Lone Star State.
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