Holiday Weekend Storms, Tornadoes Hit North Texas

Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) — Residents have been on high alert as tornado warnings, and at least one tornado that storm chasers say touched down, moved through the Dallas area Saturday. A tornado watch was put into effect for North Texas until 8 p.m. early in the day and then was extended to 11 p.m.

A very preliminary count indicated 11 tornadoes hit the Dallas area Saturday evening, according to the National Weather Service. That number is likely to change.

Around 5 p.m., four separate storms had tornado warnings. Watch the live stream of storm coverage here.

Garland police said, as of 9 p.m., four people had died. Officer Mike Hatfield said police were still working an active scene at President George Bush Turnpike and I-30.

CBS11 Storm Chasers spotted a tornado that touched down in the DeSoto/Glenn Heights area, where storms damaged at least two mobile homes and a church in the area.

Members of the Ovilla Church of the Nazarene prayed amid the rubble.

Storms moved north through Dallas, causing the National Weather Service to initiate more and extend existing tornado warnings. Around 7:30 p.m., Oncor reported 346 active outages affecting 70,427 customers.

Ground stops were put into effect at Love Field and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Security at other areas, such as the NorthPark Center, told people to shelter in place.

This is a developing story. Follow CBSDFW on Twitter for live updates.

(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

In:
• Texas
• Tornado Warning
• Tornado
• North Texas