At 2:13 p.m., the National Weather Service issued a Tornado Watch for seven North Texas counties, including Cooke, Denton, Grayson, Jack, Montague, Wise, and Young, until 9 p.m.
At 2:31 p.m., a severe thunderstorm watch was issued for the counties of Eastland, Palo Pinto, Erath, Parker, Hood, and Stephens until 9 p.m.
The primary concerns are large hail and damaging winds (wind 60 mph+).
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“Just trying to get prepared for what’s coming. Heard it could be big," said Geoff Gray, who lives in Little Elm in Denton County.
Gray purchased air mattresses to protect against hail, which he's taping to some of his home windows.
“I pushed the storage shed over there and then put some mattresses there to… block any hail," he explained.
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It comes as damage from the last hailstorm, just over two weeks ago, still lingers—you can see dents in some of his furniture, a tarp on his roof, and many of his neighbors' roofs.
“Everybody’s house has tarps on them right now. I mean, it was a pretty bad storm," Gray said. "There’s holes in the roof, and the ventilation—you know, the vents in the top, they have holes in them.”
After this round of severe weather, more neighbors might need repair help, and the Insurance Council of Texas has issued some warnings.
"Unscrupulous contractors are going to come in, try to get money upfront, and then they just skip town," said spokesperson Rich Johnson.
Johnson said hailstorms tend to bring out fraudulent contractors. Never pay one all the money upfront.
"A huge, huge red flag is when a contractor offers to pay your deductible. That's actually illegal in the state of Texas," he said.
"Check with the Better Business Bureau, get some recommendations from friends and family, or even check with your insurance company. They may have preferred contractors on site," Johnson recommended.
