Severe Thunderstorm Warning As Tornado, Baseball-Sized Hail Batter Texas

Severe thunderstorm warnings are in effect for parts of Texas after a tornado and storms battered the state on Saturday night.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said a warning remains in effect for south-central Tom Green County until 4 a.m. CDT. It comes after a severe storm was located near Christoval at about 3:45 a.m., moving east at 45 mph.

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Another severe thunderstorm warning is in effect for eastern Brown County until 4:15 a.m. That comes after a storm was located near Thrifty, moving east at 40 mph.

Forecasters said wind gusts of 60 mph and quarter-size hail are expected during the storms.

It comes after a tornado that crossed into northern Denton County late on Saturday night caused significant damage to homes and vehicles in the area, according to videos posted on social media. The storm that brought the tornado also featured “baseball-sized hail” in the region, according to posts online.

The storm damaged homes, overturned motorhomes and knocked down power lines and trees, said Denton County community relations director Dawn Cobb, according to The Associated Press.

The number of injuries was not immediately known, but the fire department in Denton posted on X that emergency personnel were responding at a location to aid “multiple victims, some reported trapped.”

The NWS office in Fort Worth said early Sunday that the threat of tornadoes had diminished.

“The tornado threat has diminished and the supercell thunderstorm responsible for earlier tornadoes continues to weaken as it moves through parts of Delta and Hopkins Counties,” the weather office wrote on X at around 1:15 a.m.

The NWS’ latest forecast said the storm system over the central U.S. that has been responsible for the severe weather is expected to move east as the Memorial Day weekend continues.

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“Current storms are expected to grow upscale and merge into a larger complex of thunderstorms by morning while swinging through parts of Missouri, Illinois, western Kentucky, and neighboring states. Damaging wind gusts, large hail, and tornadoes are possible,” the weather service said.

The forecast also warned that “oppressive and potentially dangerous” heat is also set to continue for at least the next few days throughout parts of southern Texas, the lower Mississippi Valley and southern Florida.

The heat index was forecast to reach up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit in some parts of Texas on Sunday, with people advised to drink plenty of fluids, stay out of the sun and check on relatives, neighbors, workers and the elderly.

Update 5/26/24, 5:20 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.

The exterior of the Veterans of Foreign Wars facility that suffered severe damage following a tornado on May 23, 2024, in Temple, Texas. Weather warnings have been issued for much of the center of the…