Severe thunderstorms were expected to hit parts of northeast Texas Tuesday morning, causing more than 500,000 customers to lose power, according to the National Weather Service.
The NWS is encouraging people to “stay in sturdy buildings;
Windows.”
Federal agencies had earlier issued a tornado warning for the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which was in effect until 6:30 a.m. local time. In a video shared on Twitter, sirens can be heard as heavy rain falls in Dallas.
The NWS advised people at the time to “Evacuate now. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move immediately to the nearest safe shelter. Move indoors to the lowest floor of a sturdy building and stay away from windows.”
Tornado warnings were issued for parts of Dallas, Ellis, Kaufman and Tarrant counties, and severe thunderstorm watches were issued for 21 counties in North and Central Texas. Flood watches were also in effect until 9 a.m.
The NWS advised people to remain on guard for tornadoes, as dangerous weather phenomena can develop quickly in severe thunderstorm conditions.
“A tornado or two cannot be ruled out,” the NWS wrote on its website.
Forecasters also warned of hail the size of “dimes” that could damage vehicles, and said “mobile homes, roofs and outbuildings may also sustain wind damage.”
John E. Moore III/Getty Images
The severe weather caused widespread power outages, with more than 700,000 customers without power by Tuesday morning, according to utility tracking site poweroutage.us.
“Severe storms with damaging winds of over 80 mph are moving through central NTX this morning, causing widespread impacts,” Texas power company Oncor said on Wednesday.
“Our teams are ready to respond to any weather event,” he added.
Texas was hit by a series of severe weather events in 2024, causing major damage and chaos across the Lone Star State.
Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday expanded his weather disaster declaration by adding four more counties to the list of counties affected by the storm, which began in April, bringing the total to 106 counties.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
“Texans across the state are mourning the tragic loss of seven lives caused by the severe storms in North Texas,” Governor Abbott said at a press conference. “We estimate that nearly 100 people were injured, more than 200 homes and buildings were destroyed, and more than 220 structures were damaged.”
According to the governor, a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old were among the seven people who died in the past few days.
UPDATE, May 28, 2024 at 9:44 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information.
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