DALLAS — Early Tuesday morning, North Texas was jolted awake to the sound of thunderstorms, whistling winds, and for some -- warning sirens.
However, we are no strangers to thunderstorms, which can happen at any time of the year.
So, when does an ordinary thunderstorm become severe and why was Tuesday's storm so powerful?
- Extremely muggy air fueled the storms. Dallas-Fort Worth set a record high dewpoint on Monday of 78° and was the second highest dewpoint on record in May.
- That moisture caused extreme instability over North Texas and allowed storms to reach heights of 60,000 feet.
- Strong inflow fed the storms. Winds about 1/2 mile to 1 mile above the ground were over 40 mph, which fed moisture into the oncoming storms.
Big gusts of wind can come out of nowhere and take down trees, power lines and damage homes. Numerous areas across North Texas saw peak wind gusts reach over 70 mph, with Denton even reaching an intense 83 mph.
To be considered a severe storm, a thunderstorm must either produce winds over 58 mph or hail over an inch in diameter, according to the National Weather Service.
Dallas, Denton, Kaufman, and Rockwall counties issued disaster declarations on Tuesday as tens of thousands of residents are still without power.
The most important thing to remember is that if you hear thunder roars - go indoors.
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