A review of the March 28, 2000 tornadoes affecting Fort Worth and Arlington (from NWS Storm Data):The first tornado damage was reported near Castleberry High School, about 4 miles west of downtown Fort Worth at 6:18 pm. Additional roof and tree damage occurred in the Monticello neighborhood of River Oaks. A number of businesses were then damaged or destroyed near the intersection of Camp Bowie and West 7th at 6:20 pm.
The tornado then moved east along West 7th, striking the Montgomery Ward building and the adjacent Linwood neighborhood. The tornado then extensively damaged the 6-story Cash America building, nearly destroying it. The Mallick Tower and Calvary Cathedral buildings are sustained significant damage at approximately 6:24 pm. The tornado weakened as it entered downtown Fort Worth, but wind-borne debris broke thousands of windows in buildings and high rises. Particularly hit hard was the Bank One building, which had 80% of its windows broken. The Union Pacific Resources building sustained damage to 1,300 of its 5,000 windows. Numerous automobiles in the streets and parking lots were also damaged.
The tornado dissipated as it moved east of downtown, although minor damage occurred to roofs, trees, fences, and billboards about 3 miles east of the city near I-30 and Brentwood Stair. Hail also severely damaged roofs and automobiles in Lake Worth and Saginaw.
Two people lost their lives as a direct result of the tornado. A man was killed while trying to reach shelter after warning others of the tornado, while a homeless man was killed by a wall that collapsed on him. Some 80 other people were injured, but only 6 required hospitalization.In Arlington, the initial tornado damage occurred at a restaurant on South Cooper St.
The tornado moved east, causing F-3 damage near Bardin and Matlock, south of I-20, at approximately 7:07 pm. The tornado then struck the Arlington Airport before it paralleled I-20, crossing the interstate about 1 mile west of Highway 360. The tornado then moved northeast, causing F-2 damage to a neighborhood just northeast of Grand Prairie airport.
In spite of the damage, there were no deaths or serious injuries in Arlington or Grand Prairie
