More than 800,000 power outages reported as severe weather continues in Dallas, Texas

Dallas – Powerful thunderstorms ripped through the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area and Houston on Tuesday, knocking out power to more than a million utility customers as severe weather raged across the region, bringing baseball-sized hail and hurricane-force winds that caused extensive damage in some areas.

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Outdoor warning sirens blared and cellphones rang with emergency notifications as the National Weather Service issued numerous severe thunderstorm watches and tornado warnings across North Texas.

Dallas County appears to have been particularly hard hit by the power outages, with officials warning that the outages could last for days.

Additionally, Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins said he directed the district attorney’s office to prepare a disaster declaration due to the severe weather and power outages, which he signed Tuesday afternoon.

This latest dangerous weather comes just days after a tornado ripped through the Texas community of Valley View, killing at least seven people, including a child, and injuring more than 100 others.

The tornado was the deadliest to strike Texas since 2015.

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Extensive damage was reported in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area and across North Texas, with millions of people bracing for a return of dangerous severe weather expected later Tuesday.

In Collin County, north of Dallas, emergency responders reported hail the size of baseballs near Raleigh Crossing, and hail the size of ping-pong balls and nickels in several other communities.

Damaging winds were also reported, with gusts of 83 mph near Denton and 75 mph at Dallas Love Field Airport.

The extreme weather has also caused trees to snap in several areas, including Garland and Dallas.

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Authorities said a building collapsed in the Louisville area and several crashes were reported on Interstate 35 in the area.

Storm watchers also reported the roof was torn off a commercial building in Addison.

Frisco emergency officials said two adjacent homes in the Hollyhock neighborhood were struck by lightning just after 6 a.m. local time, with one of the homes suffering extensive fire damage.

And in Houston, a powerful storm passed through the downtown area less than two weeks ago, shattering windows in high-rise buildings, with wind speeds estimated at at least 60 mph as the storm hit parts of Harris County.

Outside the metro, several homes under construction in Magnolia, Texas, collapsed in the powerful storm. Firefighters searching the rubble found the bodies of construction workers and said they did not believe anyone else was trapped inside.

In West Texas, thunderstorm winds likely produced a dust storm that quickly reduced visibility in the Midland suburb of Midkiff, Texas.

Photos and video showed at least one pileup, backing up traffic in the area.

Bad weather impacts Texas primary runoff election day

Voting began in the state’s 254 counties on Tuesday morning, but there were reported disruptions at some polling stations due to the storm.

Power outages around Dallas County prompted election officials to extend polling hours by two hours.

“The severe storms that struck our region this morning caused significant disruption, including power outages and the temporary closure of many polling locations. We remain committed to making sure all voters can cast their ballot, even in the face of these unexpected challenges. We appreciate the court’s decision to extend voting hours and thank our poll workers for their dedication as they continue to work during these difficult times,” Dallas County Elections Administrator Haider Garcia said in a statement.

The bad weather in Texas isn’t over yet

Millions of people in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado were under severe thunderstorm watches as thunderstorms moved across the region.

Tornado watches were also issued for parts of Texas on Tuesday, including the cities of Lubbock, Childress and Brownfield.

The Texas cities of Houston, Lubbock, Pasadena, Beaumont and Midland are categorized as a Level 3 out of 5 severe weather risk on NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center’s five-point severe thunderstorm danger scale, while cities such as San Antonio, Austin, Corpus Christi and Amarillo are categorized as a Level 2 out of 5 severe thunderstorm danger scale.

The Level 2 threat extends into the east, including Louisiana cities such as Alexandria and Shreveport.

The main threat from severe thunderstorms on Tuesday will be damaging wind gusts and large hail, with some already being reported in parts of Texas on Tuesday morning.

Additionally, tornadoes are possible in parts of Texas.

More than 20 people killed in severe weather over Memorial Day weekend in five states

A threat of rainy weather is expected to continue across Texas throughout the week, with energy from the Pacific Northwest producing showers and thunderstorms that could extend eastern into the Rocky Mountains and High Plains, according to computer forecast models.

Because of dispersed activity, flooding may occur where thunderstorms repeatedly move over the same area.

Widespread rainfall of 2 to 3 inches is expected over the next five days, with some areas expected to get close to 5 inches by the weekend.

No flood watches have been issued due to the extended flooding, but the National Weather Service is expected to issue flood warnings if necessary as thunderstorms could develop across more than 1,400 miles of the country.

While daily precipitation continues, hail and strong winds are expected to be the biggest concern across the Plains, with the possibility of isolated tornadoes not being ruled out.

The continuing threat of wet weather is a reminder that any thunderstorm can produce life-threatening lightning, heavy rain and gusty winds.