North Texas Faces Both Strong Thunderstorms And An Elevated Fire Threat This Weekend

The official start of spring isn’t until Tuesday, but seasonal severe weather is jumping the gun.

Thunderstorms are possible Saturday late afternoon in North Texas and could carry over into Sunday morning, according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.

Storms Saturday have the potential to produce large hail, between 1 and 1.5 inches in diameter, and strong winds up to 60 miles per hour.

By the way, the annual St. Patrick's Day celebration in Dallas ends at 3 p.m., so maybe go earlier in the day.

The activity should die down during the evening, but another round of storms could develop north of Interstate 20 near the Red River, bringing possible hail and flooding.

More severe weather is possible Sunday afternoon and evening, again with a chance of large hail and damaging winds. However, Sunday’s storms depend on several factors, including cloud cover and shower activity in the morning.

Also, the threat of a tornado or two can't be ruled out mainly north of I-20 and east of Interstate 35 during the late afternoon and evening Sunday, the weather service says.

While much of North Texas could face a soggy weekend, there’s an elevated fire threat on Sunday, particularly for the western part of the region. Areas west of U.S. Route 281 will become warm, breezy and dry.

On Monday, elevated fire weather conditions are possible across the entire area, while critical conditions are possible west of I-35.

When the weather gets bad in North Texas, check these six online resources to stay in the know.