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Severe Weather in North Texas: Why It’s So Intense & How to Protect Your Home
Episode Overview
In Episode 2 of Know Your Home, we take a deeper dive into the #1 threat facing homeowners in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex: severe weather.
If you live in North Texas—whether in Anna, Melissa, Van Alstyne, or anywhere across DFW—you already know storms here aren’t mild. They bring high winds, torrential rain, damaging hail, and sometimes tornadoes. But why is our region hit so often? And more importantly, what can you actually do to protect your home and family?
Host Dan Ali sits down with Daniel Cook, owner of Cook DFW Roofing & Restoration, and special guest Derik Kline, Founder and CEO of Hail Trace, to break down the science behind North Texas storms and the practical steps every homeowner should take before and after severe weather strikes.
This episode moves beyond headlines and into real-world preparation, construction insight, and smart homeowner strategy.
Episode Summary & Highlights
Severe weather is part of life in North Texas—but understanding it changes everything.
Derik Kline explains why DFW sits in one of the most active severe weather corridors in the country. With warm, moist air coming up from the Gulf of Mexico, dry air descending from the Rockies, and cold fronts pushing down from the north, the atmosphere over the Plains becomes uniquely unstable. When those boundaries collide, storms can form quickly and intensify fast—often producing damaging hail.
The conversation also highlights how Dallas’ urban heat island effect can influence storm development, sometimes allowing storms to strengthen as they move across the metroplex. That combination of geography, atmospheric setup, and population density is why North Texas regularly experiences billion-dollar weather events.
From a homeowner standpoint, Daniel Cook explains that while you can’t stop a storm, you can reduce risk. Securing outdoor items that could become projectiles, setting up reliable weather alert systems, and designating an interior safe space for your family are essential steps. After the storm, timely inspections, documentation, and professional evaluation can prevent minor exterior damage from becoming costly interior repairs.
The episode also explores construction upgrades that can improve resilience—such as impact-resistant shingles, upgraded ventilation systems, stronger garage doors, and strategic fortification options. If you’re already repairing storm damage, that may be the ideal time to consider improvements that better prepare your home for the next season.
Above all, this episode reinforces a simple truth: severe weather in DFW isn’t rare—it’s expected. Prepared homeowners experience less stress, fewer surprises, and faster recovery. This episode covers:
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Why North Texas is one of the most active hail regions in the United States
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How Gulf moisture, dry lines, and cold fronts combine to fuel severe storms
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The role Dallas’ urban heat island may play in storm intensification
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Why a “below average” storm season in DFW can still mean significant damage
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Practical steps homeowners should take before a severe weather event
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How to create a family storm safety plan inside your home
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The most important actions to take immediately after a storm
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Roofing and construction upgrades that can improve long-term protection
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Why post-storm inspections are critical—even if you don’t see immediate leaks
Full Episode Transcript
Dan O’Malley:
Your home is your most valuable asset, so it’s important to know everything you can to protect it and your family. I’m your host, Dan O’Malley, along with your home expert and owner/operator of Cook DFW Roofing and Restoration, Daniel Cook, and we are going to Know Your Home.
Daniel, on our first episode of Know Your Home, we talked about the top three threats to your home. Do you remember the most common threat to the home?
Daniel Cook:
Well, Dan, especially here in the DFW metroplex, it has to be severe thunderstorms. High winds, heavy torrential rain, sometimes big pockets of hail, and occasionally we have those unfortunate tornadoes. By far, severe weather is one of the most challenging things homeowners have to navigate in North Texas.
Dan O’Malley:
That is correct. And we want you to understand the how and the why when it comes to severe weather versus your home. So we’ve invited Derik Kline to join us. He’s the CEO and Founder of Hail Trace. Thanks for being here, Derik.
Derik Kline:
Yeah, thanks for having me, Dan.
Dan O’Malley:
In your experience, what should homeowners do before a storm to protect their home?
Derik Kline:
When you think about severe weather, first of all, there’s not a ton you can physically do. Mother Nature is going to do what Mother Nature is going to do. And unfortunately in Dallas, she likes to work a lot more there than many other places.
The biggest thing is securing loose items. If you can prevent debris from becoming airborne and impacting your home or vehicle — get your car in the garage, bring in patio furniture, secure trampolines — that can save a lot of damage.
But you can’t strap your roof down. You can’t put a pillow over it for hail. The storm is going to do what it’s going to do.
It’s really what you do after the storm that makes the biggest difference — and that’s where someone like Daniel comes in.
Dan O’Malley:
You also work in forecasting. Can you explain how hail forecasting works?
Derik Kline:
We look at seasonal outlooks, similar to hurricane forecasts. For example, we might forecast a slow start to storm season — say below average activity in February and March — but then expect more typical severe weather in April, May, and June.
But here’s the key: “below average” in Texas can still mean very active compared to most of the country. Our baseline in the Plains is much higher.
Dan O’Malley:
Why does North Texas seem to be such an epicenter for hail?
Derik Kline:
Great question. High level — it’s geography.
You have warm, moist air coming up from the Gulf of Mexico.
You have warm, dry air coming off the Rocky Mountains that creates the dry line.
And you have cold air dropping down from Canada.
When those air masses collide, you get lift and instability — perfect ingredients for severe thunderstorms and large hail.
Then Dallas has another factor: the urban heat island effect. The metro area often stays warmer than surrounding regions, which can help storms ignite or intensify once they move into the city.
We’ve had billion-dollar hail storms that formed as soon as a boundary reached the Dallas metro and then collapsed after leaving it.
Daniel Cook:
And I remember some of those storms. We’re out in them — tarping roofs, boarding up windows — sometimes while the storm is still passing through.
Dan O’Malley:
Derik, you storm chase. You’ve been in hurricanes, near tornadoes. What’s the scariest?
Derik Kline:
Massive hail storms. Being in heavy hail is extremely scary. You can’t do anything. You’re stuck. It’s one of the scariest things I’ve experienced.
Dan O’Malley:
We have so many people moving to Anna, Melissa, Van Alstyne, and the greater DFW area from places that don’t experience this type of weather. How do we help them understand it’s serious?
Derik Kline:
Show them real footage. YouTube is one of the best resources. Show them what significant hail looks like. Show them flood damage. Once they see it, they understand.
But you don’t have to live in fear. I’ve lived here my whole life. I’ve had hail damage, wind damage — but my house has never been hit by a tornado. Preparation is key. That’s why we have insurance.
Dan O’Malley:
Daniel, from a construction standpoint, what can homeowners do before a storm?
Daniel Cook:
Be prepared. Have alert systems — weather apps, NOAA radios. Many people stream TV and won’t get emergency bulletins.
When you know a storm is coming, walk your property. Secure patio furniture, playground equipment, pool items, trampolines. Those become projectiles in 80–90 mph straight-line winds.
Protect your family. Get to the center of your home. Lowest level. Interior closet or bathroom. Have a plan.
Dan O’Malley:
From a remodeling or construction standpoint, can you create safer spaces in homes?
Daniel Cook:
Sometimes, yes. Under staircases are ideal locations in two-story homes. Bathrooms or interior closets can sometimes be expanded to create reinforced safe zones.
Many homes in North Texas are already built with interior protected spaces, but remodeling can sometimes improve that.
Dan O’Malley:
What about roofing materials? Can shingles make a difference in hail protection?
Daniel Cook:
Absolutely. Shingles are constantly being improved. Manufacturers invest heavily in research to improve wind resistance and hail impact durability. Some incorporate reinforced materials or rubberized asphalt blends.
There are impact-resistant shingles designed specifically for hail-prone regions like North Texas.
Dan O’Malley:
If a storm damages your roof, is that a good time to upgrade?
Daniel Cook:
Yes. If you’re already repairing damage, it’s the ideal time to consider upgrades — Class 4 impact-resistant shingles, better ventilation, improved flashing, upgraded windows, oversized gutters, reinforced garage doors.
There’s even a concept called fortification — strengthening key structural points to better withstand future storms.
Dan O’Malley:
Fortification helps keep the zombies out too, right?
Daniel Cook:
Exactly. Always be prepared.
Dan O’Malley:
If you found this episode helpful, like and subscribe on YouTube. And if you’re in Anna, Melissa, Van Alstyne, or anywhere in the DFW metroplex and would like a professional roof inspection or storm damage assessment, visit cookdfw.com.
For Daniel Cook, I’m Dan O’Malley, and this has been Know Your Home.