2009: Storm collapses roof of Dallas Cowboys' practice facility

2009: Storm collapses roof of Dallas Cowboys' practice facility

Author: AccuWeather May 2, 2022 Duration: 2:24
This Date in Weather History
History
Twelve people were hospitalized Saturday May 2, 2009 after the roof of the Dallas Cowboys' indoor practice facility in Frisco, Texas collapsed during a thunderstorm. The giant blue Cowboys star atop the building lay crumpled on the ground. The storm knocked out power at team headquarters and splintered trees across the property. The roof was a large air- and tension-supported canopy with aluminum frames covering a regulation 100-yard football field. Approximately 70 players, coaches, staff and media were reported inside. Some of the injuries were serious, but none were considered life-threatening. Based on the national standards for determining loads and for designing structural steel buildings, the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology researchers studying the Cowboys facility found that the May 2 wind load demands on the building's framework—a series of identical, rib-like steel frames supporting a tensioned fabric covering—were greater than the capacity of the frame to resist those loads. The researchers determined that, at the time of collapse, the wind was blowing predominantly from west to east, perpendicular to the long side of the building. Maximum wind speed gusts at the time of collapse were estimated to be in the range of 55 to 65 miles per hour—well below the design wind speed of 90 miles per hour in the national standard for wind loads. The NIST report recommended building owners, operators and designers inspect all fabric-covered, steel-frame structures, evaluating them to ensure they are designed to handle appropriate wind loads.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


Every day has a story written in the wind and rain, and This Date in Weather History uncovers those narratives. With AccuWeather Meteorologist Evan Myers as your guide, this daily podcast connects the present to pivotal moments where weather dramatically altered the course of events. You might hear about a forgotten blizzard that stranded a city, a hurricane that redirected a war, or a simple shift in the breeze that allowed a historic discovery. It’s more than just a list of facts; it’s a look at how the atmosphere has been a relentless and fascinating character in the human drama. Each brief episode offers a specific, grounded tale, revealing how the climate has shaped cultures, economies, and personal lives in ways we often overlook. Tune in for a thoughtful blend of meteorology and historical context, delivered with the authority of AccuWeather. This podcast turns the calendar into a map of atmospheric intrigue, reminding us that the past is always present in the sky above.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Official website RSS
This Date in Weather History
Podcast Episodes
This Date in Weather History Update [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:10
This Date in Weather History podcast update from AccuWeather. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
2014: Hail storm causes $400 million in damage in Abilene, TX [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:25
On June 12, 2014 a hail storm that hit Abilene produced more than $400 million in insured losses to vehicles, homes and commercial property. "This is the worst storm damage I've seen in my 41 years in the insurance busin…
2008: F3 tornado strikes Scout camp near Little Sioux, IA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:49
June 11, 2008 marks the tragic loss of 4 teenagers at a Boy Scout camp near Little Sioux, Iowa; 48 more were injured. The tragedy struck at the 1,800-acre camp about an hour north of downtown Omaha. An EF3 tornado, with…
1752: Benjamin Franklin famously flies kite in thunderstorm [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:13
Benjamin Franklin, inventor of bifocal glasses, the Franklin stove, one of those that wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, ambassador, Governor of Pennsylvania, on June 10 1752 in Philadelphia, fle…
1984: Violent tornado outbreak in Russia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:19
The tornado outbreak of 9 June 1984 is among the most important tornado events in Russia’s history because it was associated with substantial loss of life with 400 deaths, and contained one of two F4 tornadoes ever recor…
The 1953 Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:58
The 1953 Flint–Worcester tornado outbreak was a devastating tornado outbreak sequence spanning three days, two that featured tornadoes each causing at least 90 deaths—an F5 occurring in Flint, Michigan on June 8, 1953, a…
1984: F5 tornado destroys 90% of Barneveld, WI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:16
On June 7 1984, nine people died and 200 were injured when a tornado slammed into the Iowa County, Wisconsin community of Barneveld. The F5 twister destroyed 90% of the town of 580 residents. What made Barneveld’s tornad…
1944: How weather forecasting impacted D-Day [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 4:44
The story of how weather forecasting impacted the Allies invasion of Normandy on D-Day in 1944.https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/d-day-anniversary-how-the-weather-forecast-changed-the-tide-of-war/359733 Hosted…
1925: Temperature reaches 100 degrees in Washington DC [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:41
Rainfall totals in the northeastern United States from January through the end of May 1925 had only reached half the normal total in most cities. This meant, at least for the first 5 months of the year the climate was mo…
1976: Strong tropical cyclone and 40' storm surge hits India [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:43
On June 4, 1976 a strong Tropical Cyclone, known in the US as a Hurricane, hit the port cities just north of Mumba on the west coast of India. In the decades prior to the storm, massive Tropical Cyclones has battered bot…

12345»