Fort Worth is located in the rolling hills of the Great Plains region of north-central Texas. It is the seat of Tarrant County and the major city in the western half of the Fort Worth/Dallas Metroplex. Fort Worth is 30 miles from Dallas and separated from it by the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport and several smaller central cities, such as Irving, Arlington, and Grand Prairie. The Clear and West forks of the Trinity River join near the center of Fort Worth and Lake Worth, Eagle Mountain Lake, Benbrook, and Arlington Lakes form parts of its northwest and southern borders.
Fort Worth's climate is continental and humid subtropical, characterized by wide variations in annual weather conditions, long, hot summers, and short, mild winters. For more than 150 years Fort Worth was the only major city in the United States that had never had a fatal tornado. The city's luck ran out in March 2000 when a spectacular tornado tore through residential neighborhoods and the downtown area. Five people died in the storms, which caused an estimated $450 million in damage.
Area: 292.5 square miles (2000)
Elevation: Ranges from 500 to 800 feet above sea level; mean elevation is 670 feet
Average Temperatures: January, 44.1° F; August, 84.4° F; annual average, 65.5° F
Average Annual Precipitation: 34.73 inches