Six tornadoes are believed to have touched down in North and Central Texas as thunderstorms blew through the regions on Friday. More storms are expected over the weekend.
The twisters spun up south of Dallas-Fort Worth, in Navarro, McLennan and Hill counties, the National Weather Service in Fort Worth said Saturday afternoon. Damage in Hill County is still being assessed.
Estimated wind gusts for the strongest of the tornadoes — rated as an EF2 — fell between 111 to 135 miles per hour, according to the rating. That one is believed to have blown through east of West, near the McLennan and Hill County line, according to the NWS.
Tornadoes are rated on the Enhanced Fujita scale from EF0 (lowest) to EF5 (highest), measuring wind speed and storm damage.
In Navarro County, two EF1 tornadoes and one EF0 also touched down. Two of the twisters had max wind speeds of 110 mph, said Madi Gordon, a meteorologist with the Fort Worth office.
There were two twisters in McLennan and Hill counties, an EF1 and one brief EF0, according to the weather service.
Officials do not yet have reports on injuries, but Gordon said survey teams have seen scattered tree damage and minor damage to roofs.
March through early June is generally a peak season for severe weather, an NWS meteorologist has said.
Additional rounds of severe thunderstorms are expected to roll through the region over the weekend, with a flood watch in effect for much of North Texas through Sunday evening.
The storms could bring threats of hail, strong winds and a few tornadoes, according to the weather service.
Staff writer Zaeem Shaikh contributed to this report.