Storms bring hail, strong winds into North Texas

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The worst of the storms Friday afternoon seemed to be the hail and strong winds north of the Metroplex.

The winds left minor, scattered damage, including toppled power poles in a Tarrant County neighborhood.

As many as 3,6000 homes and businesses were without power at some point. About 3,000 of the outages were in Tarrant County.

Strong winds toppled over power lines in North Fort Worth. Crews worked on Friday night to repair the damaged utility poles that were knocked down or snapped in half. When the storm passed in Fort Worth, people say it was quick but powerful.

Utility crews were pretty quick working in the area to in some cases dig new holes for new utility poles. Once the strong weather passed, it was clear skies for the most part which, no doubt, sped up their ability to get in for repairs.

In Collin County from Anna to Frisco and McKinney, plenty of hail. The storms were enough to delay the start of McKinney's Art in Bloom Festival by two hours.

While the festival wasn't hit directly by severe weather, some people out enjoying the event said they only live a few minutes away got hail in their area. Rain and pea-sized hail pelted down on cars along the highway. Some even stopped on the shoulder under an overpass to try to avoid damaging their cars.

Tough some areas saw heavy rain and hail, the worst of the storm missed the Arts in Bloom festival in Downtown McKinney.  The festival was delayed by two hours as artists and organizers waited out the storm. The rain and wind had some artists scrambling to protect their artwork.

“Luckily, I've never had any bad damage but you never know. I've been in Fort Worth with direct line winds. I've been in South Fork with direct line winds,” said artist Paul Ernest. “And as long as you're prepared, I think it's a lot better. But unfortunately, not everybody comes prepared.”
Artists say having a solid weatherproof tent with side covers is key to protecting their art in inclement weather during outdoor festivals and making sure everything is weighed down with sandbags, cinder blocks or some kind of weight to protect from wind.

Event organizers say the festival will continue on through the weekend, rain or shine. They're encouraging people to check their arts in Bloom Facebook page for updates.

Saturday will be much cooler with lows in the upper 30s and highs in the 60s. No major damage was reported.