Early-April 1957 tornado outbreak sequence

A tornado damaged one home near Howe and blew cars off a road. North of Van Alstyne, two homes, including a farmhouse, were destroyed, and a couple were thrown 50 yd (46 m), critically injuring the woman. Nearby barns were also destroyed, and many trees were blown down. This or a related tornado may have also destroyed a home in the "Woodlawn" community, near Sherman. The tornado is not listed as significant (F2 or greater) by Grazulis.[12][8]

This tornado may have first touched down east of McKinney, but officially struck the east side of Melissa and then continued to the west side of Anna. Early in its path, the tornado destroyed 12 barns, scattering debris for 3 mi (4.8 km). 15 homes and a church were damaged in Melissa, and seven homes were destroyed nearby. The tornado later destroyed eight homes near Anna before dissipating.[8][12]

At around 3:00 p.m. CST (21:00 UTC), the first tornadoes touched down north of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area. At around 4:30 p.m. CST (some sources say 4:15 p.m. CST), a tornado touched down in southern Dallas County, south of modern-day Interstate 20, and traveled northward for about 45 minutes through the Dallas neighborhoods of Oak Cliff, Kessler Park, West Dallas (only 2.5 mi (4.0 km) west of Downtown Dallas) and Love Field before lifting over Bachman Lake, west of Dallas Love Field, just after 5:00 p.m. CST.[12] As it first touched down, the tornado was barely visible, with only a debris cloud showing at the base of the thin funnel cloud. 13 minutes later, the tornado funnel became more visible and was seen clearly to touch the ground.[9]

The tornado reached its maximum intensity, likely in the upper range of the F3 category, as it approached the Trinity River.[9][17] In this area, between Singleton Boulevard and Riverside Drive, homes were completely swept off their foundations, and nearby railroad cars were overturned; while the damage appeared to be F4 in appearance, the homes had been poorly constructed, lacking wall studding and being "set on piers 8–12 ft (2.4–3.7 m) on center."[17] Thus the tornado was officially rated F3, which is consistent with photogrammetric estimates of 175-mile-per-hour (282 km/h) peak winds in the worst damaged area.[12][17][18] Some time after crossing the Trinity River, the tornado weakened, and shortly afterward passed over a parking lot about ³⁄₄ mi (1.2 km) west of the U.S. Weather Bureau office at Dallas Love Field.[10][12] The funnel then entered the rope stage and dissipated just north of Bachman Lake.[9][10]

In all, the Dallas tornado killed 10 and injured at least 200 (some sources say 216) others. Damage was estimated at $4 million (1957 USD).[10][12] The tornado completely destroyed about 131 (some sources say 154) homes, badly damaged 111, and mildly damaged 287. Nearly 600 (some sources list 574) structures and more than 500 homes were damaged, including between nine and 28 permanent apartment buildings that were completely destroyed.[12][19] Some businesses and schools were also damaged, but the Parkland Memorial Hospital was narrowly spared, as was Dallas Love Field. Another, though officially unconfirmed, tornado in Collin County, north of the city, may have briefly touched down just east of the dissipating Dallas tornado and caused damage.[13][19]

The Dallas tornado was heavily documented, filmed, and photographed by several eyewitnesses as it passed through residential and commercial areas of Dallas. Visible for much of its 17-mile (27 km) path, the tornado, at the time, was the most observed in recorded history: 125 observers produced thousands of photographs and hours of high-quality, 16-mm film measuring 2,000 ft (610 m) in length.[12][18] The tornado was highly visible due to its slow, 30-mile-per-hour (48 km/h) forward speed, a lack of precipitation, and its coincidence with ideal, late-afternoon lighting.[9][12] Occurring shortly before the end of the workday, the tornado passed just west of Downtown Dallas and was seen by many business and factory workers. Many TV studios had time to film the tornado from rooftops.[9]

A researcher from the Severe Weather Forecast Unit in Kansas City noticed that several old theories were proven false during the Dallas tornado. One of the theories was that all air and debris flowed inward into the funnel and then upward, but on the outside edges of the funnel debris and people were even lifted.[9] WFAA-TV in Dallas produced a 30-minute documentary about the tornado about one week later.[9] The tornado became the subject of several scientific papers analyzing the life cycle of and wind speed speeds in a tornado.[12][20] Among the studies was the first-ever photogrammetric analysis of wind speeds in a tornado.[18] The film of the tornado is still regarded as being of exceptionally high quality and sharpness.[12]

Additionally, another major tornado event struck the densely populated areas of the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex on March 28, 2000, when F3 tornadoes struck Downtown Fort Worth as well as Arlington, killing at least three people and injuring dozens of people while damaging or destroying several structures, including several office towers. Additional tornadoes touched down near the Metroplex area the following morning in Fort Worth and other areas but no additional fatalities were reported.

In December 2015, yet another outbreak struck the Dallas area. The most significant tornado of that outbreak was an EF4, killing nine people and injuring many. Damage was significant, with many homes and businesses completely destroyed and vehicles being mangled beyond recognition. The most significant damage occurred in Rowlett and Garland. This was the deadliest tornado to strike the Metroplex since the 1957 event.

This tornado first touched down on the northeast side of Calera, but may have been observed as a funnel over Denison, Texas. In Calera, the tornado destroyed a drive-in theater (parodying a scene in the 1996 film Twister) and a large "stock barn."[14] After hitting Calera, the tornado struck Durant, destroying nine blocks and damaging 20 others. The tornado damaged or destroyed roughly 135 homes and 25 businesses.[14] A service station collapsed, killing two people, and nearly every building at Southeastern State College (now Southeastern Oklahoma State University) sustained roof damage. One person also died in a home that "exploded."[14]

A tornado produced damage in Dido and Newark. Many buildings were destroyed in both communities, including 11 homes, one of which was thrown 70 feet (21 m) against a school building.[14] The Newark School lost its roof and school buses were tossed. The Dido community center was flattened, and National Guard buildings were damaged.[14] The tornado was rated F2 by Grazulis.