A wild start to storm season: Tornado confirmed in Fannin County as hail, storms pound North Texas

ROCKWALL, Texas — North Texas’ early spring storm season kicked off with a flurry of activity on Monday night — bringing hail, funnel clouds and a confirmed tornado to the region.

The National Weather Service on Tuesday morning confirmed a tornado happened Monday night in Fannin County, though officials still had to assess damage to determine the tornado’s rating.

Aerial footage Tuesday morning showed heavy damage to several structures, including sheds and barns, and some roof damage to homes.

The damage happened near Leonard, about an hour northeast of Dallas, but storm warnings covered most of the eastern half of Dallas-Fort Worth late on Monday afternoon and into the evening. While most of the area only saw a smattering of thunderstorm activity and brief downpours, areas directly to the northeast of Dallas saw much more drastic conditions.

In Rockwall, the activity was mostly curious: Points surrounding Lake Ray Hubbard and beyond saw quarter-sized hail blanketing the region to the point that it almost looked like snow coverage. Ultimately, though, representatives with the City of Rockwall said that they had “no major damage” to report from the storm. 

Farther to the north and east, things appeared to take a far graver turn: Footage shared by residents near the City of Leonard — located about an hour’s drive northeast of Dallas in Fannin County — showed clear funnel cloud formations in the area shortly after 6 p.m.

Watch raw video of a funnel cloud spotted near Leonard:

Additional footage shared later in the evening appeared to show that a possible tornado had formed in the region, damaging buildings and property throughout the rural community. Power outages also struck the Leonard area, with reports of substation damage and wires down in “several spots.”

Whether Monday night’s damage in Fannin County was caused by straight-line winds or a tornado will not be confirmed until Tuesday morning when the National Weather Service assesses the situation and its damage.