Several strong thunderstorms cut a swath through north Texas late Wednesday, with baseball-sized hail smashing everything from car windshields to the marquee of a landmark East Dallas movie theater.
The hail storms were the worst in the North Texas and Dallas area since April 2003, the National Weather Service said on Thursday.
The storms likely caused hundreds of millions of dollars in insured losses, and may even top the $400 million in losses from a series of tornadoes two months ago, the Insurance Council of Texas said on Thursday.
More than 40 flights were diverted and 10 delayed at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on Wednesday evening. Airport officials said service was back to normal on Thursday.
A storm in Fannin County northeast of Dallas flipped over a mobile home, injuring three people.
No serious injuries were reported.
Two intense storms swept through the Dallas area in the late afternoon and lasted more than three hours, said Jason Dunn, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
"This was definitely a multimillion-dollar hail storm," said Dunn said. "A lot of car windshields were blown out and roofs damaged in Dallas."
Hail smashed the marquee of the landmark Lakewood Theatre in East Dallas. Several glass sculptures created by nationally renowned artist Dale Chihuly that are on display outdoors at the Dallas Arboretum suffered minor damage, NBCDFW.com reported.
The storms also shredded trees and blanketed streets with downed limbs and leaves. About 6,000 homes and businesses lost power during the storms.