At least two tornadoes touched down near Dallas on Tuesday. The National Weather Service declared a tornado emergency for Dallas-Fort Worth, as warning sirens echoed throughout the downtown area. The weather service issued tornado warnings for dozens of counties in the area.
Reports of massive damage across North Texas were rampant, as local television news captured images of the twisters-each thought to be about a half-mile wide. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
"This is as serious of a tornado we've seen in years," meteorologist Larry Mowry said on CBS' Dallas affiliate.
According to Yahoo! Dallas editor Jason Sickles, the first, spotted about 20 miles south of Fort Worth, was believed to be on the ground for 30 minutes.
The DFW International Airport was shut down, and airline passengers were rushed to safe areas. Reports of a third tornado near the Texas Motor Speedway circulated. Local highways were closed as funnel clouds raced by.
A CNN affiliate showed video of one of the tornadoes "tossing tractor trailers like toys" at a truck depot.
A tractor trailer flies through the air near Dallas. (Mike Masco/Twitter)
Mike Masco, a meteorologist and senior forecaster with LiveWeatherBlogs.com, tweeted a dramatic image of one truck tossed into the air.
One of the tornadoes narrowly missed the Ballpark in Arlington, where the Rangers were scheduled to play a night exhibition. Mike Napoli, the Rangers' catcher, captured footage on his phone. According to Accuweather.com, the Six Flags amusement park in Arlington sustained "significant damage."
At least 28,000 Oncor electricity customers were without power, according to ABC's WFAA-TV. The Salvation Army set up a disaster shelter in Arlington, the network said.
WFAA also aired an aerial video surveying the damage.
Damage near Dallas (WFAA-TV)
A YouTube user uploaded another view of the Arlington storm:
Fox News:
Other popular Yahoo News stories:
- Tornadoes on all sides in Dallas
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- Eyewitness: Cars overturned, trees knocked down
Tell us your story: Did you witness the Dallas tornado and storms? Share your story with Yahoo! News.
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A tractor trailer flies through the air near Dallas. (Mike Masco/Twitter)
Damage near Dallas (WFAA-TV)