CL65 FO TEMPORARILY LOST CTL OF ACFT IN SEVERE TURB DURING STAR ARR. APCH CTL WAS REQUESTED FOR BLOCK ALT SINCE THE ACFT GAINED 4000 FT IN ALT BEFORE CTL WAS REGAINED AND THEY RETURNED TO THEIR ASSIGNED ALT.

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FLT FROM BTR TO DFW; CRJ-50 CANADAIR JET WITH 2 COCKPIT CREW MEMBER; 1 FLT ATTENDANT; 21 PAX; WAS ON THE CQY-4 ARR TO LAND AT DFW ARPT. AFTER 45 MINS OF HOLDING AT WIERS INTXN; WE WERE CLRED TO HOWDY INTXN. AT HOWDY WERE INSTRUCTED TO TURN TO A HDG OF 250 DEGS. FLT ATTENDANT AND PAX WERE SEATING AND I HAD BRIEFED THE FLT ATTENDANT IN A 'BUMBY' ARR AND PREPARE CABIN. ON THE WAY TO HOWDY WE FLEW IN AND OUT OF SMALL CLOUDS WITH GOOD RETURNS ON THE WX RADAR. MODERATE TURB OCCURRED AND WE CONTINUED TO HOWDY. JUST PRIOR TO HOWDY; INTXN; WE HIT SEVERE TURB; HAD TO DISENGAGE THE AUTOPLT AND HAD A HARD TIME MAINTAINING CTL OF THE ACFT. FO FLYING; CTLED PITCH ATTITUDE; ROLL; AND AIRSPD. WE WENT WINGS LEVEL AND DID NOT ATTEMPT ANY TURNS. AIRSPD LOSS OF +/-50 KTS WAS EXPERIENCED AND WE STARTED TO GET PUSHED UP BY THE CONVECTION. FROM 8000 FT; WE EVENTUALLY WERE SHOT UP TO 12000 FT MSL BEFORE WE COULD CTL THE ACFT AND RETURN TO 8000 FT. I IMMEDIATELY REQUESTED BLOCK ALT AND RPTED SEVERE TURB TO APCH CTL. OUR TCASII WAS DEFERRED; SO NO OTHER KNOWN TFC WERE IN PROXIMITY AND 20 MI SPACING IN EFFECT. WE ACCEPTED RADAR VECTORS AND DSNDED LOWER TO 4000 FT TO MAKE VISUAL CONTACT WITH DFW ARPT AND LANDED VISUALLY N RWY 35R. WE EXPERIENCED MODERATE TO SEVERE TURB XING THE LINE OF CLOUDS FORMING 20 MI FROM DFW ARPT. NO INJURIES TO RPT AND ACFT WAS INSPECTED FOR SEVERE TURB.