Recalling a DFW Tornado Outbreak, Seven Years Later

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On April 3, 2012, a tornado outbreak occurred in North Texas, focused largely in or around the DFW metro area. A total of 22 tornadoes occurred during the afternoon and early evening. Seventeen of the tornadoes were considered weak, rated EF0. The strongest was an EF3 that hit Forney with winds of up to 165 miles-per-hour.

Your Tornado Photos - April 3, 2012

At one point, there was a tornado occurring in Tarrant County and another tornado occurring in Dallas County. The National Weather Service issued a rarely used Tornado Emergency alert for both storms. NBC 5 Senior Meteorologist David Finfrock later said it was the biggest challenge of his career to cover the twin tornadoes in the two most populated counties in North Texas at the same time. NBC 5 showed live video of one of the tornadoes as it tossed semi-trailers through the air like toys.

The latest video forecast from NBC DFW team of Weather Experts will appear in the player above. Keep up with the latest changes to the weather by downloading the NBC DFW smartphone App for iOS and Android!

Your Damage Photos - April 3, 2012

The day began with a risk of severe storms with hail and strong winds being the main threats. As the day progressed conditions became more favorable for the potential for tornadoes. The intensity of the storms was actually helped out by a cluster of storms in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma storms created an outflow boundary that moved south into Texas. This acted as a small cold front that enhanced the strength of the storms in North Texas.

An apparent tornado tossed around a fleet of parked tractor-trailers at Schneider National. Dozens of the 500 trucks parked at the lot were damaged, and some were thrown hundreds of feet.

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Photos: Tornadoes Touch Down in North Texas

Despite the large number of tornadoes, there were no fatalities, with 29 people injured. Approximately 1,100 homes were damaged, including 349 that were destroyed. The damage was estimated to be about $1 billion.

Get the latest forecast information from NBC 5's team of Weather Experts here.