Motorists warned of high winds

[TexasStooge]

From WFAA ABC 8 Staff

A powerful storm system blasted through North Texas late Wednesday and early Thursday bringing high winds and hail to parts of the area.

Traffic delays were reported during Thursday's morning rush hour after powerful gusts apparently overturned at least two vehicles.

Truck driver Kyle Crane said his empty 18-wheeler was flipped on its side by winds on the southbound Interstate 35W service road at Highway 114 near Texas Motor Speedway in far North Fort Worth.

"I took the exit and was going to come to a stop, and the winds picked up—I saw them blowing across the road," Crane said. "The next thing I knew, it picked up the trailer and laid it over on its side."

Crane, who was not hurt, said he had never experienced anything like it in his 22 years of driving.

Trucker Quenten Williams explained the problem big winds pose for big rig drivers. "It's like a wall," he said. "It's not like a car; a car is more aerodynamic."

A sport utility vehicle was also flipped over in the southbound lanes of I-35E at FM 407 in Lewisville.

"We're going to have very gusty winds throughout the day," said WFAA-TV meteorologist Greg Fields. "The fire danger remains quite high as those winds will be quite brisk."

The National Weather Service issued a Red Flag Warning for extreme fire danger conditions in Tarrant County and areas to the west.

The storms that may have awakened you during the night in the Dallas-Fort Worth area had marched rapidly into East Texas before daybreak.

While there were a few brief and isolated downpours, most North Texas reporting stations measured less than a quarter-inch of much-needed rain.

A tornado warning was issued for Montague County after a National Weather Service meteorologist detected a developing tornado eight miles west of Nocona and moving at 60 mph. The tornado warning ended at 12:15 a.m.

Reports of half-inch hail were reported around 8:40 p.m. Wednesday by the National Weather Service five miles west of Highland Park.

WFAA-TV reporter Carol Cavazos in Fort Worth contributed to this report.
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