By Ben Cowlishaw
Online Copy Editor

Tuesday’s torrential rains and damaging hail was covered by journalist and eyewitness alike, from before the storms spun up to reports of devastating damage in the aftermath.

One way or another, teachers and administration across the district became aware of the impending weather situation at some point before sixth period.

In my fifth period class, it began when a student jokingly alerted English teacher Barbara Cross to storms a county away after reading tweets from local TV meteorologist Pete Delkus:

@wfaaweather: “TORNADO WARNING for Johnson and Tarrant County until 1:30 pm! Take cover immediately!”

At that time, in no way did anyone anticipate the storm having a direct impact on Coppell. However, as the local weather station ran in the background for the rest of class, it slowly became evident that Coppell was directly in the crosshairs.

As sixth period came around, most everyone knew that serious storms were approaching. Some teachers operated class as normal, while others kept their attention on a local weather station.

As the storm bore down on Coppell, it gained national attention from well-known names in meteorology. Reed Timmer of the Discovery Channel show Storm Chasers warned of the storm approaching the Coppell area.

@reedtimmerTVN: “Confirmed tornado headed toward Euless, TX! Irving, Coppell and Grapevine also in the path! TAKE COVER NOW!!!!!!!…”

Renowned meteorologist Jim Cantore of The Weather Channel also tweeted about the storm and hail threat facing Coppell.

@JimCantore: “Coppell, TX get ready for BIG HAIL”

As students across the area moved into duck-and-cover positions, many turned to social media to keep busy. Coppell junior and dual credit student Alexis Natale tweeted when the Northlake campus when into lock-down.

@AlexisNatale: “Uhhh taking shelter at north lake… #imsoscared”

After the storm cleared and school let out, many found their homes and cars damaged. Most cars in the CHS parking got away mostly unscathed, albeit a few small dents. However, the storm hit harder in many other parts of the city. Junior Matt Trovalli’s car was at his home during the storm and saw extensive damage, and he, like so many others, shared their damage with the world.

@MattTrovalli: “MY CAR #omg”

From before the storms hit to revealing the devastating aftermath, social media played a pivotal role in portraying the events first-hand from those who watched it unfold.