During the evening hours of October 20, 2019, a large, intense, and extremely costly nocturnal tornado that was part of a late-season outbreak tracked 15.76 miles through the densely populated areas of North Dallas and Richardson in Dallas County, Texas, United States, inflicting widespread damage to numerous structures. The tornado caused $1.55 billion (2019 USD) in damages, making it the second-costliest tornadic event in Texas history, and the sixth-costliest tornado in United States history. Thousands of homes and businesses were damaged to some degree by the tornado, with around 118 structures being completely destroyed.
The tornado first touched down in northwest Dallas, just north of the Trinity River Greenbelt Park, crossing Interstate 35E and inflicting damage to several commercial buildings near Harry Hines Boulevard. The tornado tracked south of Walnut Hill Lane, inflicting damage to numerous business and homes. A man was injured after the tornado heavily impacted a shopping center. The tornado crossed Marsh Lane before impacting a church, where a man hid underneath a breezeway to avoid being injured. The tornado then tracked over Cary Middle School, Jefferson High School, and Walnut Hill Elementary School, inflicting significant damage. The tornado turned to the northeast, damaging trees, numerous homes, and a fire station.
The tornado then struck a second shopping center where many customers were inside the businesses, including 12 people who took shelter inside a walk-in freezer. The tornado then reached peak intensity along Northhaven Road, where a home suffered EF3 damage with the roof being torn off and several walls collapsing. The tornado then crossed U.S Route 75, damaging numerous businesses at EF2 intensity. The tornado struck a Home Depot where the employees were evacuated less than an hour prior, demolishing portions of the building. The tornado turned eastward, damaging Dallas Lutheran School and the Texas Instruments campus before striking an apartment complex, causing damage to several units at EF1 intensity.
The tornado entered the city of Richardson, inflicting EF2 damage to numerous apartments and blowing out the windows of a low-rise office building. The tornado then tracked through several subdivisions, damaging numerous homes at EF1EF2 strength. The tornado weakened as it entered the College Park subdivision, making several sharp turns and damaging trees before dissipating near North Jupiter Road after being on the ground for 32 minutes.
Meteorological synopsis
At 1:00 a.m. CDT on October 20, 2019, the Storm Prediction Center outlined an enhanced risk for southeastern Oklahoma, western Arkansas, and portions of northern Texas, as a strengthening trough tracked from the Rocky Mountains into the Great Plains, with strengthening wind shear and increasing moisture ahead of a cold front being present. Additionally, a slight risk was outlined for larger portions of the same regions. A 10% hatched risk was outlined for portions of southeastern Oklahoma, and a 2% probability of a tornado within 25 miles (40 km) of a point was highlighted for surrounding regions, which included Dallas and surrounding areas. At 11:30 a.m., the Storm Prediction Center expanded the areas where a risk of tornadoes was present, with a 5% probability of a tornado within 25 miles (40 km) of a point including much of northeastern Texas, as a trough and strengthening polar jet positioned over the High Plains, and moisture continued to collect ahead of a cold front that was tracking southeastward, making the environment favorable for severe weather. On the evening of October 20, numerous thunderstorms began to develop over the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, with several storms developing ahead of a cold front, and additional storms developing into a squall line. These storms produced a total of 10 tornadoes, with the strongest being the EF3 that tracked through northern portions of Dallas.
Tornado summary
Touchdown and beginning The tornado touched down at 8:58 p.m. just southwest of State Highway 348 and near Luna Road, where it began to snap large tree branches and inflict minor damage to the roofs of buildings at EF0 intensity. The tornado began to track east-northeastward, crossing State Highway 348 and approaching Interstate 35E. As the tornado crossed the interstate, it turned sharply to the east and began to strengthen, inflicting EF1–EF2 damage to numerous commercial buildings as it approached Harry Hines Boulevard. The tornado struck a strip mall along Walnut Hill Lane and Shady Trail, collapsing several exterior walls at EF2 intensity with estimated wind speeds of . The tornado then tracked south of the Harry Hines Boulevard/Walnut Hill Lane intersection, where numerous homes and businesses sustained EF1 to EF2-rated damage. The tornado maintained its intensity as it began to track just south of Walnut Hill Lane, where several gas stations, churches, and large commercial buildings sustained significant damage to their exterior walls and roofs, with at least one apartment complex being impacted as well. A large retail building along Walnut Hill Lane sustained high-end EF2 damage, with several exterior walls collapsing. Additionally, a smaller retail building along the same road was extensively damaged, with portions of the structure collapsing. The tornado then struck the Southwind Apartment complex along Brockbank Drive, inflicting significant damage and tearing the roofs off several units.
Impacts in North Dallas
The tornado continued to inflict EF1EF2 damage as the tornado tracked east-northeastward, crossing Walnut Hill Lane and striking an apartment building along Glenrio Lane, tearing the entire roof off at EF2 strength. The tornado then struck the Marsh Lane Plaza, which had several customers at the time, heavily damaging the shopping center. One man was sucked out of the doorway of a Little Caesars store within the plaza, being injured by flying debris as he grabbed a pillar of the building's breezeway to keep himself from being carried by the tornado. Two other individuals were inside the restaurant as it was impacted, but remained unharmed after the building collapsed. The tornado tracked across Marsh Lane, with numerous homes and several businesses sustaining damage east of this road. A small professional building along the Marsh Lane/Walnut Hill Lane intersection sustained EF2 damage, with the entire structure collapsing. The tornado then struck the First Mexican Baptist Church along the Betty Jane Lane/Walnut Hill Lane intersection, with one man that was inside managing to seek shelter underneath a breezeway and remain unharmed. The church lost the majority of its roof, and several buildings on the property sustained severe damage. The tornado then impacted the Northway Church near the Hedgeway Drive/Walnut Hill Lane intersection, tearing front portions of the roof off. The tornado continued to maintain EF2 intensity as it crossed over both Edward H. Cary Middle School and Thomas Jefferson High School, inflicting significant damage to both structures. The tornado then turned to the northeast before striking Walnut Hill Elementary School, damaging 90% of the building. The tornado crossed Midway Road and tracked through Royalwood Estate, snapping large branches off hardwood trees at EF1 strength. The tornado damaged numerous residences and countless hardwood trees at EF1–EF2 strength with estimated wind speeds ranging from as it approached U.S. Route 75, with many of the homes that suffered roof and exterior wall damage being large and well-built. Dallas Fire Station 41 along Royal Lane was impacted at EF1 intensity, with the entire roof being stripped away and several walls being damaged. Several firefighters were inside the building as it was struck, but no injuries were reported. The tornado then impacted the Preston Royal shopping center on Preston Road and Royal Lane, where Central Market had several employees and around 20 customers inside, with the building sustained significant damage. Numerous other businesses and restaurants within the shopping center were damaged, including Fish City Grill, where 12 employees and customers took shelter in the walk-in freezer as the restaurant was struck.
Peak intensity in North Dallas The tornado briefly strengthened to EF3 intensity as it tracked just north of the Mum Place/Camellia Drive intersection, before weakening as it began to parallel Tulip Lane to the south. The tornado heavily impacted St. Mark's School of Texas along Preston Road, completely destroying the campus's athletic center and significantly damaging several other buildings on the property, including the fine arts center. The tornado continued to damage homes at EF2 intensity as it tracked eastward between Tulip Lane and Orchid Lane, significantly damaging the roof of a home with estimated wind speeds of as it crossed Hillcrest Road. The tornado made a sharp turn to the northeast just before crossing just north of the Forest Glade Circle/Orchid Lane intersection, crossing Forest Glade Circle a second time before tracking across Royal Lane and Saint Judes Drive. A house along Royal Lane was damaged at EF2 strength, with large portions of the roof being torn away from estimated wind speeds of . The tornado continued to damage structures at EF2 strength while crossing numerous residential streets, with a large house near the Northhaven Road/Pebble Downe Drive sustaining significant damage to its roof. The tornado once again briefly strengthened to low-end EF3 intensity with estimated wind speeds of as it tracked over Northhaven Road, where a single-family house on the north side of the street was destroyed. The entire roof was torn away and several exterior walls collapsed. This home was the only structure impacted by the tornado that was assigned an EF3 rating by damage surveyors.
Further impacts in North Dallas
The tornado crossed U.S Route 75, damaging numerous businesses, including several office buildings and a car dealership, at EF2 strength. An office building along the east side of the highway sustained EF2 damage of , with numerous windows being blown in or shattered. The tornado continued northeastward, crossing the Bonnie Drive/Forest Central Drive intersection before destroying a Home Depot along Forest Lane at high-end EF2 strength, with portions of the building collapsing and the roof being torn away. Nobody was in the building when it was destroyed, as the assistant store manager sent the employees home less than an hour before the tornado struck due to impending severe weather. The tornado turned to the east as it inflicted EF1 damage, with the Dallas Lutheran School along Stults Road having portions of its roof ripped away. The tornado crossed Forest Lane before tracking over southern portions of the Texas Instruments campus, shattering windows. The tornado then turned further to the northeast and began to parallel Greenville Avenue, where numerous trees and buildings sustained EF1 damage. A mid-rise office building along Markville Drive was struck by the tornado, with several windows being blown out at EF1 intensity with estimated wind speeds of . The tornado then struck a motel along Vantage Point Drive, inflicting EF1 damage. The tornado tracked across Interstate 635 before damaging a low-rise building and striking an apartment complex along Greenville Avenue and Amberton Parkway, where dozens of units sustained EF1-rated roof damage.
Impacts in Richardson and dissipation