Heavy downpours, lightning hit northern Collin County as storms fade

Heavy downpours and frequent lightning swept across northern Collin County Wednesday night, a burst of storm activity that made travel hazardous even after the strongest cells began to fade. The storm threat was no longer severe, but the rain and lightning still mattered for drivers, homeowners and anyone watching for ponding on already soggy roads.

The National Weather Service in Fort Worth and Dallas had a Severe Thunderstorm Watch in effect as of 9:34 p.m. CDT Thursday, April 16, 2026, and its late-day forecast still carried a 10% to 20% chance of storms late Thursday and again Friday afternoon and evening. Forecasters said a strong to severe storm with hail and gusty winds could not be ruled out, keeping North Texas on alert even as the immediate line of storms moved away.

A cold front was expected to arrive Friday night into Saturday, and that system was forecast to bring scattered showers and storms, lingering rain and isolated storms behind it. The weather service also said breezy north winds could gust to 25 to 30 mph Saturday morning, a shift that could make outdoor conditions more uncomfortable and complicate travel after the rain passes.

The broader outlook was more concerning for the region. National Weather Service forecasters said a slow-moving low pressure system could keep bringing multiple rounds of showers and storms to North and Central Texas through the weekend and into early next week. Some of those rounds could turn severe, and heavy rainfall with flooding remained possible.

That kind of warning carries extra weight in Collin County, where the weather service’s past-event archive includes the April 11, 2016 hail storm and the May 2006 Collin-Grayson County tornadoes. In fast-growing communities across North Texas, even a storm that has lost its severe label can still leave behind dangerous lightning, slick highways and localized flooding in low-lying areas.

FOX 4 News Dallas-Fort Worth meteorologist Josh Johns tracked the storm activity as it crossed the area, highlighting the heavy rain and frequent lightning in the north part of the county. With another round of storms still possible Friday and a frontal system due Friday night into Saturday, residents were being asked to keep an eye on the sky and the pavement, especially where water can collect quickly after repeated downpours.