A severe thunderstorm watch is up for parts of the Texas Panhandle and South Plains through 10:00 p.m. CDT Tuesday, and the word is spreading well beyond the immediate danger zone. The alert flags the potential for very large hail, damaging straight-line winds and a few isolated tornadoes along a broad corridor stretching from near Amarillo toward Lubbock. Dallas City Hall even boosted the message on social media so North Texas followers would not miss the statewide warning.
Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of the area in TX until 10:00pm CDT. #txwx
— Dallas Emergency Management & Crisis Response (@DallasEMCR) June 23, 2026
Where the watch applies and what to expect
According to the Storm Prediction Center, Severe Thunderstorm Watch 383 was issued at 4:45 p.m. CDT Tuesday and runs until 10:00 p.m. CDT for portions of the Texas Panhandle and South Plains. The watch corridor is described as roughly 50 statute miles east and west of a line from 30 miles northwest of Amarillo to 30 miles southeast of Lubbock, pulling in more than a dozen counties inside the box.
Forecasters list scattered damaging winds with isolated gusts up to about 80 mph, very large hail up to 3 inches in diameter, and the chance for a tornado or two as the primary threats. In other words, this is the kind of setup that can go from routine rumble to broken windows in a hurry.
Why Dallas shared the alert
The Office of Mayor Eric L. Johnson pushed out the emergency message on X to amplify the warning for Dallas residents, regional followers and visitors who may be traveling across the state. The post cited Dallas Emergency Management and repeated the watch timing as posted by the Office of Mayor Eric L. Johnson, effectively giving the Panhandle-focused alert a big-city signal boost.
How to stay ready
According to the National Weather Service, people inside the watch area should line up multiple reliable ways to get updates, know in advance where they will go for shelter, head indoors and stay away from windows during hail or high winds, and avoid driving through flooded or hail-covered roads.
Keep NOAA Weather Radio, local NWS pages and official city emergency channels handy in case watches are upgraded to warnings. For live maps and status updates, check the Storm Prediction Center and your local NWS office, and stay tuned to official city emergency channels for push alerts. If severe weather escalates into warnings, treat them as the real deal and move to a safe interior room until the danger has passed.
