View source for 2000 Fort Worth tornado outbreak

{{Short description|Natural disaster in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, United States on March 28, 2000}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox storm
 | name                 = 2000 Fort Worth tornado outbreak
 | image                = Damage Fort Worth.png
 | caption              = Aerial view of damaged [[List of tallest buildings in Fort Worth|skyscrapers]] in downtown Fort Worth
 | formed               = 
 | active               = March 28, 2000
 | dissipated           = 
 | tornadoes            = 10
 | fujitascale          = F3<small>{{refn|The National Weather Service officially documents the Fort Worth tornado as an F3 with winds between {{convert|158|-|206|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}<ref name="FujitaScale" /><ref name="FortWorthTornadoSE">{{cite web|author1=National Weather Service Fort Worth, Texas|title=Tornado Event Report for F3 Tornado in Tarrant County, Texas on March 28, 2000|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5137406|website=Storm Events Database|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmantal Information|access-date=March 7, 2017|location=Fort Worth, Texas}}</ref> However, a separate damage survey and radar analysis conducted by [[Timothy P. Marshall]] and Micahel Foster of the [[National Weather Service Norman, Oklahoma|National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Norman, Oklahoma]] concluded tornadic winds peaking at 55-65&nbsp;ms<sup>−1</sup> ({{convert|125|-|145|mph|km/h|abbr=on|disp=x|; |}});<ref name="DamageSurvey">{{cite web|last1=Marshall|first1=Timothy P.|last2=Foster|first2=Michael|title=Damage Survey and Radar Analysis of the Fort Worth and Arlington, TX Tornadoes on 28 March 2000|url=https://ams.confex.com/ams/pdfpapers/45859.pdf|access-date=March 7, 2017|location=Dallas, Texas|date=January 2002}}</ref> such winds would have corresponded to estimated F2&nbsp;intensity winds under the former [[Fujita scale]].<ref name="FujitaScale">{{cite book|last1=Edwards|first1=Roger|title=The Online Tornado FAQ|date=February 13, 2017|publisher=Storm Prediction Center|location=Norman, Oklahoma|url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/f-scale.html|access-date=March 8, 2017|chapter=Fujita Tornado Damage Scale}}</ref> However, since the Fujita scale is damage-based and not wind-based, the estimated winds did not factor into the tornado's classification.<ref name="FujitaScale" /> | group                = note}}</small>
 | highest winds        = 
 | damages              = $450&nbsp;million (2000&nbsp;USD; $608&nbsp;million 2016&nbsp;USD)<ref name="10Years">{{cite news|last1=Young|first1=Michael E.|title=Fort Worth tornado's devastation 10 years ago changed the face of downtown|url=http://www.dallasnews.com/news/news/2010/03/28/Fort-Worth-tornado-s-devastation-10-6620|access-date=March 7, 2017|work=DallasNews|agency=The Dallas Morning News|publisher=The Dallas Morning News Inc.|date=March 2010|location=Fort Worth, Texas}}</ref><ref name="CostliestTexas">{{cite web|title=Costliest Texas Storms|url=https://www.insurancecouncil.org/4DCGI/cms/review.html?Action=CMS_Document&DocID=144&MenuKey=none|publisher=Insurance Council of Texas|access-date=March 7, 2017}}</ref>
 | total fatalities     = 2&nbsp;fatalities (+1 non-tornadic), 80&nbsp;injuries
 | partof               = the '''[[tornadoes of 2000]]'''
 | alt                  = Elevated image showing various buildings in the foreground and middleground with various degrees of broken windows
 | areas affected       = [[Fort Worth]], [[Texas]], United States
}}
During the evening hours of March&nbsp;28, 2000, an intense [[Fujita scale|F3]] [[tornado]] struck [[Downtown Fort Worth, Texas]], causing significant damage to numerous buildings and [[List of tallest buildings in Fort Worth, Texas|skyscrapers]] as well as two deaths. The tornado was part of a larger severe weather outbreak that caused widespread storms across Texas and [[Oklahoma]] in late-March, spurred primarily by the moist and [[atmospheric instability|unstable]] atmospheric environment over the [[South Central United States]] as a result of an eastward-moving [[upper-level low]] and [[shortwave trough]]. The [[tornado outbreak]] was well forecast by both [[numerical weather prediction|computer forecast models]] and the [[National Weather Service]], though the eventual focal point for the severe weather—[[North Texas]]—only came into focus on March&nbsp;28 as the conditions favorable for tornadic development quickly took hold.

The F3&nbsp;Fort Worth tornado initially began as a relatively weak tornado in [[River Oaks, Texas|River Oaks]], gradually strengthening as it tracked southeastward and then eastward towards Fort Worth's central business district. The twister damaged 266&nbsp;homes across its {{convert|4|mi|km|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|250|yd|m|abbr=on}} wide path, out of which 28&nbsp;were destroyed. Damage surveys indicated that much of the tornado's destruction was due to structural deficiencies in many of the older subdivisions impacted by the tornado. Various high-rise and low-rise buildings in downtown Fort Worth sustained various degrees of structural damage including numerous broken windows. Nine other tornadoes also occurred across [[North Texas]] on March&nbsp;28; although most were relatively inconsequential, another strong F3&nbsp;tornado struck portions of [[Arlington, Texas|Arlington]], including [[Arlington Municipal Airport (Texas)|Arlington Municipal Airport]]. Aside from the two deaths caused by the tornado, a third person was killed in north Fort Worth by a fall of baseball-sized [[hail]].

==Meteorological synopsis==
[[File:Storm Prediction Center Day 1 Outlook March 28 2000 0600 UTC.gif|thumb|left|Convective outlook from the Storm Prediction Center highlighting a moderate risk of severe weather over North Texas on March&nbsp;28]]
Early on March&nbsp;28, an [[upper-level low]] tracked eastward into the [[Southern United States]] along with its associated [[shortwave trough]], sending the [[subtropical jet]] through Texas and bringing along with it strong west-northwesterly winds in the upper-levels of the troposphere. Concurrently, a [[cold front]] extended [[zonal and meridional|zonally]] tracked south across the [[Great Plains]] before eventually stalling near the [[Red River of the South|Red River]] valley, providing an additional focus area for storm development. Favorable conditions for [[severe weather]] were expected ahead of the upper-level low over areas of [[North Texas]]; accordingly, the [[Storm Prediction Center]]&nbsp;(SPC) issued a moderate risk for severe weather for the region, citing an [[Convective instability|unstable atmosphere]] caused by steep [[lapse rate]]s of 7.5-8.0&nbsp;°C/km and high [[convective available potential energy]] values. The environment was expected to be conducive for the development of [[supercell]]s as the warped subtropical jet produced strong [[wind shear]] over Texas.<ref name="D1-0600">{{cite web|last1=Evans|first1=Jeffry S.|title=Day 1 Convective Outlook 06:00 UTC March 28, 2000|url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/archive/event.php?date=20000328|website=Severe Weather Event: Mar 28, 2000|publisher=Storm Prediction Center|access-date=March 8, 2016|location=Norman, Oklahoma|date=March 28, 2000}}</ref>

Later that day, a low-level [[low-pressure area]] developed west of [[Wichita Falls, Texas|Wichita Falls]] at the intersection of a [[dry line]] extended southward across [[Central Texas]] and the stationary front extended eastward across the Red River valley.<ref name="D1-2000">{{cite web|last1=Thompson|first1=Rich|title=Day 1 Convective Outlook 20:00 UTC March 28, 2000|url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/archive/event.php?date=20000328|website=Severe Weather Event: Mar 28, 2000|publisher=Storm Prediction Center|access-date=March 8, 2016|location=Norman, Oklahoma|date=March 28, 2000}}</ref><ref name="CaseStudy">{{cite conference|url=https://ams.confex.com/ams/pdfpapers/46426.pdf|title=A Case Study of the Fort Worth and Arlington Tornadic Supercells of 28 March 2000|last1=Jordan|first1=Jason K.|last2=Moller|first2=Alan R.|last3=Vescio|first3=Michael D.|date=August 14, 2002|conference=21st Conference on Severe Local Storms and 19th Conference on Weather Analysis and Forecasting/15th Conference on Numerical Weather Prediction|conference-url=https://ams.confex.com/ams/SLS_WAF_NWP/webprogram/21SLS.html|volume=21|edition=9|publisher=The Conference Exchange|location=San Antonio, Texas|access-date=March 11, 2017}}</ref> With the low-pressure system now in place, the air mass over the Red River valley became increasingly unstable, featuring surface temperatures near {{convert|90|°F|°C|abbr=on}} and high [[dew point]]s caused by the northerly surge of moisture induced by the subtropical jet.<ref name="MD432">{{cite web|last1=Carbin|first1=Greg W.|title=SPC Mesoscale Discussion #432|url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/archive/events/000328/mesodisc.html|publisher=Storm Prediction Center|access-date=March 8, 2017|location=Norman, Oklahoma|date=March 28, 2000}}</ref> The combination of high temperatures and a moist atmosphere resulted in a favorable environment for thunderstorm development. However, despite the heat, temperatures alone were insufficient in breaking the [[capping inversion]]&ndash;an area of warmer air aloft that prevents the relativity cooler air near the surface from rising. Instead, the approaching shortwave trough provided the impetus necessary to force [[convection (meteorology)|convection]] to occur, allowing for the formation of showers and thunderstorms.<ref name="DamageSurvey" />

Initially, [[numerical weather prediction|computer models]] indicated that the day's storms would primarily feature strong winds and hail with a minimal risk for tornadoes, with severe weather occurring mainly north of the stalled front in Oklahoma. However, conditions improved further than expected, leading the [[National Weather Service Fort Worth, Texas|National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Fort Worth, Texas]] to intensify its verbiage in its public forecasting products as the day progressed and highlighting areas around the [[Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex]] as potential risk areas for tornadoes.<ref name="CaseStudy" /> Thunderstorms began to develop earnestly along the dry line as the afternoon progressed, beginning with initial storm development northeast of [[Abilene, Texas|Abilene]].<ref name="WW128" /> The strong southwesterly winds aloft from the curved subtropical jet over the region helped to ventilate the storms, allowing for their persistence and intensity.<ref name="DamageSurvey" /> The SPC issued its first of two [[tornado watch]]es for the event at 2:53&nbsp;p.m. CST (20:53 UTC) for portions of southern [[Oklahoma]] and North-Central Texas.<ref name="WW128">{{cite web|last1=Johns|first1=Robert H.|title=Tornado Watch Number 128|url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/archive/events/000328/watches.html|publisher=Storm Prediction Center|access-date=March 8, 2017|location=Norman, Oklahoma|date=March 28, 2000}}</ref> The most favorable environment for tornadoes was initially over the Red River but shifted southward to include the Dallas–Fort Worth area in the evening hours.<ref name="CaseStudy" /> As storms continued to develop along a line paralleling [[Interstate 35]], some storms congealed into a [[mesoscale convective system]] near the [[Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex|Metroplex]];<ref name="MD435">{{cite web|last1=Kerr|first1=Brynn|title=SPC Mesoscale Discussion #435|url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/archive/events/000328/mesodisc.html|publisher=Storm Prediction Center|access-date=March 8, 2017|location=Norman, Oklahoma|date=March 28, 2000}}</ref> this cluster of storms produced both F3&nbsp;tornadoes in Fort Worth and Arlington.<ref name="DamageSurvey" /> The complex of storms eventually evolved into a transient [[bow echo]] that continued to track eastward into [[Louisiana]].<ref name="MD436">{{cite web|last1=Kerr|first1=Brynn|title=SPC Mesoscale Discussion #436|url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/archive/events/000328/mesodisc.html|publisher=Storm Prediction Center|access-date=March 8, 2017|location=Norman, Oklahoma|date=March 28, 2000}}</ref> Elsewhere, supercells continued to propagate eastward across North and South-Central Texas along the dry line, slowly weakening after sunset.<ref name="MD437">{{cite web|last1=Kerr|first1=Brynn|title=SPC Mesoscale Discussion #437|url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/exper/archive/events/000328/mesodisc.html|publisher=Storm Prediction Center|access-date=March 8, 2017|location=Norman, Oklahoma|date=March 29, 2000}}</ref>

==Confirmed tornadoes==
{{Tornado Chart|Total=10|F0=7|F1=1|F2=0|F3=2|F4=0|F5=0}}

===March 28 event===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
|+ List of confirmed tornadoes&nbsp;– Tuesday, March 28, 2000
! scope="col"  style="width:3%; text-align:center;"|[[Fujita scale|F#]]
! scope="col"  style="width:7%; text-align:center;" class="unsortable"|Location
! scope="col"  style="width:6%; text-align:center;" class="unsortable"|County / parish
! scope="col"  style="width:5%; text-align:center;"|State
! scope="col"  style="width:6%; text-align:center;"|Start coord.
! scope="col"  style="width:6%; text-align:center;"|Time ([[Central Standard Time|CST]])
! scope="col"  style="width:6%; text-align:center;"|Path length
! scope="col"  style="width:6%; text-align:center;"|Max width
! scope="col" class="unsortable" style="width:48%; text-align:center;"|Summary
! scope="col" class="unsortable" style="width:3%; text-align:center;"|Refs
|-
|bgcolor=#{{storm colour|storm}} | F0
|[[St. Jo, Texas|St. Jo]]
|[[Montague County, Texas|Montague]]
|[[Texas|TX]]
|{{Coord|33.70|-97.53|name=St. Jo (Mar. 28, F0)}}
|17:24–17:24
|{{convert|0.1|mi|km|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|10|yd|m|abbr=on}}
|A mobile home was damaged along Starkey Road in St. Jo. Hail from the same supercell damaged cars on [[U.S. Route 82 in Texas|U.S. Route 82]]. The same storm would later produce several funnel clouds and an additional tornado over [[Cooke County, Texas|Cooke County]].
|<ref name="StJoTornadoSE">{{cite web|author1=National Weather Service Fort Worth, Texas|title=Tornado Event Report for F0 Tornado in Montague County, Texas on March 28, 2000|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5140381|website=Storm Events Database|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information|access-date=March 11, 2017|location=Fort Worth, Texas}}</ref>
|-
|bgcolor=#{{storm colour|cat3}} | F3
|[[Fort Worth, Texas|Fort Worth]]
|[[Tarrant County, Texas|Tarrant]]
|[[Texas|TX]]
|{{Coord|32.75|-97.35|name=Fort Worth (Mar. 28, F3)}}
|18:18–18:28
|{{convert|4|mi|km|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|250|yd|m|abbr=on}}
|2&nbsp;deaths&nbsp;&ndash; [[#Fort Worth, Texas|See section on this tornado]]
|<ref name="FortWorthTornadoSE" />
|-
|bgcolor=#{{storm colour|storm}} | F0
|[[Itasca, Texas|Itasca]]
|[[Hill County, Texas|Hill]]
|[[Texas|TX]]
|{{Coord|33.70|-97.53|name=Itasca (Mar. 28, F0)}}
|18:20–18:20
|{{convert|0.1|mi|km|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|10|yd|m|abbr=on}}
|This brief tornado did no damage. The same thunderstorm would later spawn two additional tornadoes in [[Navarro County, Texas|Navarro County]].
|<ref name="ItascaTornadoSE">{{cite web|author1=National Weather Service Fort Worth, Texas|title=Tornado Event Report for F0 Tornado in Hill County, Texas on March 28, 2000|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5137417|website=Storm Events Database|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information|access-date=March 11, 2017|location=Fort Worth, Texas}}</ref>
|-
|bgcolor=#{{storm colour|storm}} | F0
|[[Lindsay, Cooke County, Texas|Lindsay]]
|[[Cooke County, Texas|Cooke]]
|[[Texas|TX]]
|{{Coord|33.65|-97.23|name=Lindsay (Mar. 28, F0)}}
|18:20–18:20
|{{convert|0.1|mi|km|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|10|yd|m|abbr=on}}
|This brief tornado did no damage. The same storm also produced the earlier F0&nbsp;tornado in [[Montague County, Texas|Montague County]], in addition to several funnel clouds.
|<ref name="LindsayTornadoSE">{{cite web|author1=National Weather Service Fort Worth, Texas|title=Tornado Event Report for F0 Tornado in Cooke County, Texas on March 28, 2000|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5140383|website=Storm Events Database|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information|access-date=March 11, 2017|location=Fort Worth, Texas}}</ref>
|-
|bgcolor=#{{storm colour|cat3}} | F3
|[[Arlington, Texas|Arlington]]
|[[Tarrant County, Texas|Tarrant]], [[Dallas County, Texas|Dallas]]
|[[Texas|TX]]
|{{Coord|32.73|-97.12|name=Arlington (Mar. 28, F3)}}
|19:05–19:15
|{{convert|8|mi|km|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|300|yd|m|abbr=on}}
|[[#Arlington, Texas|See section on this tornado]]
|<ref name="ArlingtonTornadoSE">{{cite web|author1=National Weather Service Fort Worth, Texas|title=Tornado Event Report for F3 Tornado in Tarrant County, Texas on March 28, 2000|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5137409|website=Storm Events Database|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information|access-date=March 11, 2017|location=Fort Worth, Texas}}</ref><ref name="GrandPrairieTornadoSE">{{cite web|author1=National Weather Service Fort Worth, Texas|title=Tornado Event Report for F2 Tornado in Dallas County, Texas on March 28, 2000|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5137411|website=Storm Events Database|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information|access-date=March 11, 2017|location=Fort Worth, Texas}}</ref>
|-
|bgcolor=#{{storm colour|storm}} | F0
|[[Leon Valley, Texas|Leon Valley]]
|[[Bexar County, Texas|Bexar]]
|[[Texas|TX]]
|{{Coord|29.48|-98.65|name=Leon Valley (Mar. 28, F0)}}
|19:11–19:12
|{{convert|0.1|mi|km|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|20|yd|m|abbr=on}}
|Small and short-lived tornado that did minimal damage. However, the tornado was preceded by {{convert|40|-|50|mph|abbr=on}} winds and large hail that damaged cars in Leon Valley.
|<ref name="LindsayTornadoSE">{{cite web|author1=National Weather Service Fort Worth, Texas|title=Tornado Event Report for F0 Tornado in Cooke County, Texas on March 28, 2000|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5140383|website=Storm Events Database|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information|access-date=March 11, 2017|location=Fort Worth, Texas}}</ref>
|-
|bgcolor=#{{storm colour|storm}} | F0
|[[Roane, Texas|Roane]]
|[[Navarro County, Texas|Navarro]]
|[[Texas|TX]]
|{{Coord|32.18|-96.38|name=Roane (Mar. 28, F0)}}
|19:55–19:55
|{{convert|0.1|mi|km|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|10|yd|m|abbr=on}}
|A barn was destroyed, and another was unroofed by the tornado, causing $10,000&nbsp;in damage. The same storm that produced this tornado also produced an F1&nbsp;tornado near [[Bazette, Texas|Bazette]] and produced the earlier tornado in [[Hill County, Texas|Hill County]], in addition to widespread non-tornadic damage.
|<ref name="RoaneTornadoSE">{{cite web|author1=National Weather Service Fort Worth, Texas|title=Tornado Event Report for F0 Tornado in Navarro County, Texas on March 28, 2000|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5137421|website=Storm Events Database|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information|access-date=March 11, 2017|location=Fort Worth, Texas}}</ref>
|-
|bgcolor=#{{storm colour|storm}} | F0
|WSW of [[Wilmer, Texas|Wilmer]]
|[[Dallas County, Texas|Dallas]]
|[[Texas|TX]]
|{{Coord|32.55|-96.77|name=Wilmer (Mar. 28, F0)}}
|19:55–19:55
|{{convert|0.1|mi|km|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|10|yd|m|abbr=on}}
|Storm spotters observed a brief touchdown in rural areas of [[Red Oak, Texas|Red Oak]] and [[Wilmer, Texas|Wilmer]] from the same supercell that spawned the earlier F3&nbsp;tornado in Arlington.
|<ref name="WilmerTornadoSE">{{cite web|author1=National Weather Service Fort Worth, Texas|title=Tornado Event Report for F0 Tornado in Dallas County, Texas on March 28, 2000|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5137413|website=Storm Events Database|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information|access-date=March 11, 2017|location=Fort Worth, Texas}}</ref>
|-
|bgcolor=#{{storm colour|cat1}} | F1
|[[Bazette, Texas|Bazette]]
|[[Navarro County, Texas|Navarro]]
|[[Texas|TX]]
|{{Coord|32.18|-96.27|name=Bazette (Mar. 28, F1)}}
|20:15–20:15
|{{convert|3|mi|km|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|250|yd|m|abbr=on}}
|Three mobile homes and five barns were destroyed in Bazette. The roofs of two other homes were damaged. Damage from this tornado amounted to $200,000.
|<ref name="BazetteTornadoSE">{{cite web|author1=National Weather Service Fort Worth, Texas|title=Tornado Event Report for F1 Tornado in Navarro County, Texas on March 28, 2000|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5137422|website=Storm Events Database|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information|access-date=March 11, 2017|location=Fort Worth, Texas}}</ref>
|-
|bgcolor=#{{storm colour|storm}} | F0
|[[Trinidad, Texas|Trinidad]]
|[[Henderson County, Texas|Henderson]]
|[[Texas|TX]]
|{{Coord|32.15|-96.10|name=Trinidad(Mar. 28, F0)}}
|20:30–20:30
|{{convert|0.5|mi|km|abbr=on}}
|{{convert|20|yd|m|abbr=on}}
|A few residences in Trinidad sustained minor damage and trees were downed. The same parent thunderstorm spawned the tornadoes in Navarro and Hill counties and also produced destructive hail over nearby [[Malakoff, Texas|Malakoff]] and [[Athens, Texas|Athens]].
|<ref name="TrinidadTornadoSE">{{cite web|author1=National Weather Service Fort Worth, Texas|title=Tornado Event Report for F0 Tornado in Henderson County, Texas on March 28, 2000|url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=5137894|website=Storm Events Database|publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Centers for Environmental Information|access-date=March 11, 2017|location=Fort Worth, Texas}}</ref>
|-
|}

===Fort Worth, Texas===
{{Infobox storm
 | name                 = Fort Worth, Texas
 | image                = Fort Worth Bank One Building damage edited.jpg
 | caption              = Broken windows on the façades of [[The Tower (Fort Worth, Texas)|The Tower]] caused by the tornado.
 | fujitascale          = F3
 | casualties           = 2 fatalities, 80 injuries
}}
The thunderstorm that would eventually produce the infamous F3&nbsp;tornado in Fort Worth developed from a cluster of storms that formed west of the city. At 4:38&nbsp;p.m. CST (22:38&nbsp;UTC), a [[severe thunderstorm warning]] was issued on the quickly organizing storm for [[Parker County, Texas|Parker County]].<ref name="DamageSurvey" /> About an hour later, another severe thunderstorm warning was issued, this time for [[Tarrant County, Texas|Tarrant County]], as the storm continued to track eastward.<ref name="TTU" /> Radar imagery showed that the [[supercell]] was rapidly organizing, developing a [[bounded weak echo region]] and [[hook echo]]—radar signatures that hint at a strong and potentially tornadic thunderstorm—in less than a half-hour. Radar also indicated that a broad [[mesocyclone]] had developed by around 6:00&nbsp;p.m. CST (00:00 UTC), extending vertically through the entirety of the supercell. At around the same time, a [[wall cloud]] was spotted in association with the rotating thunderstorm while baseball-sized hail fell ahead of the rotation in northern Fort Worth along [[Interstate 820|I-820]]. Winds from the [[downdraft]] of another small thunderstorm south of Fort Worth allowed the strengthening supercell to organize further.<ref name="DamageSurvey" /> At 6:10&nbsp;p.m. (00:10&nbsp;UTC), a [[tornado warning]] was issued for Tarrant County, and accordingly [[civil defense siren|emergency sirens]] were activated in the Fort Worth a minute later.<ref name="TTU">{{cite web|last1=Letchford|first1=C. W.|last2=Norville|first2=H. S.|last3=Bilello|first3=J.|title=Damage Survey and Assessment of Fort Worth Tornado, 28 March 2000|url=http://www.depts.ttu.edu/nwi/Pubs/ReportsJournals/ReportsJournals/D3-28-00-Tor-FtWorth.pdf|publisher=Texas Tech University|access-date=March 11, 2017|location=Lubbock, Texas|date=August 2000}}</ref>

The tornado touched down at 6:18&nbsp;p.m. CST (00:18&nbsp;UTC) near [[Castleberry High School]] northwest of downtown Fort Worth. Initially, the tornado lacked a [[funnel cloud|condensation funnel]], and could only be visually identified as dust swirls near the ground beneath the rotating wall cloud aloft; the tornado maintained this appearance for the first five minutes of its lifespan, after which a condensation funnel eventually developed. The first signs of damage occurred in the [[River Oaks, Texas|River Oaks]] area along [[Texas State Highway 183|SH 183]] where metal roof panels were stripped off of a vacant fast food restaurant. After crossing the highway, the tornado inflicted sporadic F0&nbsp;damage to an older residential area, breaking tree branches and causing some damage to outbuildings; a few chimneys were toppled off of homes. At the time, the tornado's damage path was only a few hundred feet wide. A roof of a home near Roberts Cut Off Road was partially removed, signifying the first instance of F1&nbsp;damage. Several large and rotted trees were uprooted by the tornado's strong winds as it moved through the area. The tornado then passed directly over Castleberry High School, causing significant damage to the school's [[field house]]. Tornadic debris—including rooftop [[air conditioning]] units, gravel, and other detached construction—was thrown by the tornado at the school's western façade, causing minor damage.<ref name="DamageSurvey" /> Throughout River Oak, three homes sustained major damage while 51&nbsp;others experienced minor damage.<ref name="FortWorthTornadoSE" />

The tornado crossed the [[Trinity River (Texas)|Trinity River]] and dealt F1&nbsp;or greater damage to over a hundred homes in the adjacent subdivision. Some roofs sustained partial roof loss and many large trees either lost limbs or were toppled.<ref name="DamageSurvey" /> At the intersection of West Sixth Street and University Drive, the tornado abruptly turned east from its initial southeast heading,<ref name="DamageSurvey" /> bringing it over the Linwood subdivision at around 6:22&nbsp;p.m. CST (00:22&nbsp;UTC).<ref name="FortWorthTornadoSE" /> The homes in the neighborhood were mostly small, wood-framed structures on pier or beam [[foundation (engineering)|foundations]], making them highly vulnerable to the tornadic winds and resulting in widespread structural failure.<ref name="DamageSurvey" /> A survey conducted by the Wind Damage and Engineering Program at [[Texas Tech University]] later concluded that many of the buildings that suffered total structural failure did so due to structural deficiencies rather than the strong winds associated with the tornado.<ref name="TTU" /> The tornado then passed over a [[Montgomery Ward]] distribution center, causing roof damage to the complex and overturning numerous parked trucks; one person was killed while trying to reach shelter after a truck fell on them. Another person was killed after being struck by a collapsing brick wall. Together, these two fatalities represented the only deaths associated with the Fort Worth tornado and the overall tornado outbreak. Several nearby metal buildings were toppled before the tornado once again crossed the Trinity River, entering Fort Worth's [[central business district]].<ref name="DamageSurvey" /> A [[tornado emergency]], the second one ever issued, was declared for the city by the National Weather Service.

The tornado struck several skyscrapers as it moved across downtown Fort Worth over the course of approximately a minute between 6:25 p.m CST (00:25 UTC) and 6:26&nbsp;p.m. CST (00:26 UTC). The first high-rise building impacted was the nine-story [[Cash America]] building, which was nearly destroyed by the tornado. All windows on the building's northwestern and southwestern faces were blown out by the strong winds, and the [[travertine]] stone façade framing the building's exterior crumbled. While a number of interior [[Wall#Partition wall|partition walls]] and suspended ceilings collapsed, the building's steel frame remained intact. The tornado also peeled some of the brick masonry off the dome and five-story prayer tower of a nearby [[Baptist church]]. The tornado was at its peak strength when it struck the ten-story [[Mallick Tower]], causing the building to lose most of its glass exterior. High-speed debris thrown up by the tornado broke windows in adjacent low-rise office and [[Condominium (living space)|condominium]] buildings.<ref name="DamageSurvey" /> Similar damage occurred to several other high-rises including the 35-story [[The Tower (Fort Worth, Texas)|Bank One Tower]], which lost 80&nbsp;percent of its 3,000&nbsp;windows; the [[777 Main Street|Union Pacific Resources Building]] lost 1,300&nbsp;of its 5,000&nbsp;windows.<ref name="FortWorthTornadoSE" />{{refn|The Union Resources Building was built as Continental Plaza in 1982 and was renamed after Union Pacific Resources became the building's principal tenant in 1998. The same skyscraper was renamed the Carter Burgess Plaza in 2000 and then 777&nbsp;Main in 2012.<ref name="777Main">{{cite news|last1=Baker|first1=Sandra|title=Atlanta owner selling 777 Main tower in downtown Fort Worth|url=http://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/article4536729.html|access-date=March 11, 2017|agency=Star-Telegram|date=December 16, 2014|location=Fort Worth, Texas}}</ref>|group=note}} The tornado eventually dissipated at 6:28&nbsp;p.m. CST (00:28&nbsp;UTC) near [[Interstate 35W (Texas)|Interstate 35W]] after having spent 10 minutes on the ground over a {{convert|4|mi|km|abbr=on}} path and {{convert|250|yd|m|abbr=on}} wide path.<ref name="TTU" /><ref name="FortWorthTornadoSE" /> Across Fort Worth, 212&nbsp;homes were damaged, of which 28&nbsp;were destroyed. Although the tornado dissipated just east of downtown Fort Worth, the parent supercell thunderstorm continued to cause damage, albeit minor and sporadic, to roofs, trees, fences, and billboards roughly {{convert|3|mi|km|abbr=on}} near [[Interstate 30]] and Brentwood Stair Road.<ref name="FortWorthTornadoSE" />

===Arlington, Texas===
{{Infobox storm
 | duration             = 15 minutes 
 | name                 = Arlington, Texas
 | fujitascale          = F3
 | fatalities           = None
}}
After the Fort Worth tornado dissipated, another thunderstorm developed over [[Johnson County, Texas|Johnson County]], tracking northeastward into Tarrant County and eventually merging with the supercell that had produced the earlier F3&nbsp;tornado.<ref name="DamageSurvey" /> The new development prompted the re-issuance of the tornado warning for Tarrant County at 6:40&nbsp;p.m. CST (00:40&nbsp;UTC).<ref name="TTU" /> At 7:05&nbsp;p.m. CST (01:05&nbsp;UTC), the Arlington tornado touched down on South Cooper Street, causing initial damage to a restaurant;<ref name="ArlingtonTornadoSE" /> the tornado's touchdown coincided with the appearance of a [[tornado vortex signature]] on radar imagery. Well-built homes within a residential area along Embercrest Drive sustained widespread damage, with some houses experiencing up to F3-rated damage; such damage occurred after garage doors failed, allowing tornadic winds to unroof homes and push out exterior walls. As a consequence, homes that faced the tornadic winds sustained more damage than homes whose attached garages were sheltered from the strong winds. After crossing Matlock Road, the tornado did additional damage to one- and two-story homes in another subdivision, producing F3&nbsp;damage. Many homes suffered the collapse of brick masonry walls due to poor construction as they were not properly anchored to the homes' frames.<ref name="DamageSurvey" /> The tornado then swept across northern portions of the [[Arlington Municipal Airport (Texas)|Arlington Municipal Airport]], dealing F2&nbsp;damage before briefly paralleling [[Interstate 20]]. At 7:12&nbsp;p.m. CST (01:12&nbsp;UTC), the tornado crossed the interstate, overturning at least one [[Semi-trailer truck|18-wheeler]]. The tornado continued to track northeast, causing F2&nbsp;damage to a subdivision northeast of [[Grand Prairie Municipal Airport]] in [[Dallas County, Texas|Dallas County]] before dissipating at 7:20&nbsp;p.m. CST (01:20&nbsp;UTC).<ref name="ArlingtonTornadoSE" />

==See also==
{{Portal|Weather}}
*[[List of tornadoes striking downtown areas]]
*[[December 2015 North American storm complex]]
*[[Tornado outbreak of April 3, 2012]]
*[[April 1994 tornado outbreak]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110522140509/http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/misc/000328.html Satellite imagery] ([[University of Wisconsin–Madison]])

{{2000 tornado outbreaks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:2000-03 Fort Worth Tornado}}
[[Category:2000 in Texas|Fort Worth Tornado]]
[[Category:20th century in Fort Worth, Texas|2000 Tornado]]
[[Category:F3, EF3 and IF3 tornadoes]]
[[Category:Tornadoes of 2000|03, Fort Worth]]
[[Category:Tornadoes in Texas]]
[[Category:March 2000 in the United States|Fort Worth Tornado]]
[[Category:2000 natural disasters in the United States|Tornado, Fort Worth, 03]]