At least 1 killed as storms and winds knock out power across Texas communities and flood roadways, and the threat is not over | CNN (2024)

CNN

At least one person has been killed and more than 600,000 customers in Texas remained without power Tuesday night as powerful storms delivered another round of violent weather to a state still reeling from an almost unrelenting parade of destructive and deadly storms in recent weeks.

Storms unloaded hurricane-force wind gusts across the Dallas area Tuesday and later tore through Houston in the afternoon, where the city’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport recorded a wind gust of 75 mph.

Roughly 40 miles northwest of Houston, one person died after a house under construction collapsed in a subdivision in Magnolia, the city’s fire officials said. The victim – described as a “juvenile male” by the Magnolia Fire Department – was removed from a debris pile by firefighters and pronounced dead.

Magnolia Fire Department Division Chief Jason Herrman confirmed to CNN the home’s collapse was related to a Tuesday thunderstorm with “significant winds.”

Videos captured across Houston and Dallas communities revealed scenes of disaster and flooding Tuesday. Footage from north Dallas obtained by CNN showed multiple cars stranded in a flooded roadway, surrounded by frequent lightning as the rain continued. In other communities, powerful winds ripped out trees and forced them onto homes and knocked down neighborhood fences, leaving communities in disarray.

At least 1 killed as storms and winds knock out power across Texas communities and flood roadways, and the threat is not over | CNN (1)

Multiple vehicles were stranded in flood waters in North Dallas Tuesday.

The power outages started to ramp up early Tuesday morning in the Dallas area, then extended south with the storms as they roared across the state, according to PowerOutage.us. Hundreds of thousands of outages were in Dallas County, where officials issued a disaster declaration and warned outages could last for days.

READ: White House announcing action to modernize electric grid and pave the way for fewer outages

These storms have arrived even as some residents are still mourning at least seven people killed in the state duringviolent storms over Memorial Day weekend. In total, at least two dozen people, including four children, were killed across six states as storms hit the central US over the holiday period, and several communities are grappling with significant losses of homes and businesses.

Sunday was the busiest severe weather day of the year so far, with more than 600 reports of strong winds or hail across more than 20 states, including gusts over 75 mph and hail the size of softballs. Twenty-six tornado reports also were made in 10 states. Storms turned homes and businesses into piles of rubble, flung cars and brought down power lines.

Parts of Texas and extreme western Louisiana faced Tuesday’s most serious threat of severe weather. Large hail, lightning and wind gusts as strong as 80 mph were the main threats with any storm. A few tornadoes were also possible, according to the National Weather Service.

The weather also spelled misery for hundreds of travelers. More than 600 flights flying in and out of the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and the Dallas Love Field Airport have been canceled – and more than 900 flights in and out of the two airports have been delayed, according to FlightAware data.

More than 75 flights in and out of Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport have been canceled, while more than 530 have been delayed.

Power outages could last days in Dallas

It could take days to fully restore power in the Dallas-Fort Worth area after violent storms unleashed hurricane-force wind gusts Tuesday morning. Dallas is the second major Texas city to have critical power infrastructure damaged by severe weather in less than two weeks.

“This, unfortunately, will be a multi-day power outage situation, similar to the one that (occurred) in Harris County and Houston,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins cautioned during a news conference Tuesday.

A derecho and tornado in mid-May blasted 100 mph wind gusts through the Houston metro, killing multiple people and knocking out power for days.

At least 1 killed as storms and winds knock out power across Texas communities and flood roadways, and the threat is not over | CNN (2)

Storm damage is seen in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, area on May 28, 2024.

The full extent of damage to power infrastructure in the Dallas area is still being assessed, but the current prognosis is concerning, according to Grant Cruise, a spokesperson for Oncor — the state’s largest utility company.

“We did have a significant number of downed lines because of this weather event,” Cruise said during Tuesday’s news conference. “In many cases it’s not going to be simple repairs, we’re looking at complete reconstruction for parts of our area.”

The storm damage prompted Jenkins to issue a disaster declaration for Dallas County.

The outages come as some Texans head to the polls Tuesday for primary runoff elections. More than a third of Dallas County’s polling places were without power Tuesday afternoon, according to Jenkins.

Summerlike heat will ease in Texas this week, but those left without power or a reliable way to cool down could still face the risk of dangerous heat stroke or heat exhaustion.

CNN’s Raja Razek, Gene Norman and and Andy Rose contributed to this report.

At least 1 killed as storms and winds knock out power across Texas communities and flood roadways, and the threat is not over | CNN (2024)

FAQs

Where was the tornado in North Texas? ›

Tornadoes in North Texas resulted in at least seven deaths and significant damage. At least three tornadoes were confirmed Saturday night in Cooke, Collin, and Denton counties. On Sunday, Gov. Greg Abbott added these counties, along with Montague County, to the state's disaster declaration.

Why does power go out during storms? ›

Why does power go out in a thunderstorm? It's a combination of lightning in the thunderstorm hitting parts of the power system and thunderstorms producing a lot of wind. This wind not only damages the system directly but blows things like trees, tree limbs and occasionly other things into the wires.

What part of Texas has never had a tornado? ›

What part of Texas has no tornadoes? While no part of Texas is immune from tornadoes, areas of far West Texas, El Paso, and Central Texas see the lowest occurrence of tornadoes in the state.

Where is Tornado Alley in Texas? ›

While there is no official designation, the area known as Tornado Alley is generally designated as between Texas and South Dakota. AccuWeather identified the area as northern Texas northward through Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri and parts of Louisiana, Iowa, Nebraska and eastern Colorado.

Is it safe to watch TV during a storm? ›

Myth: If you are in a house, you are 100% safe from lightning. Fact: A house is a safe place to be during a thunderstorm as long as you avoid anything that conducts electricity. This means staying off corded phones, electrical appliances, wires, TV cables, computers, plumbing, metal doors and windows.

Can a thunderstorm knock out power? ›

Power outages can be caused by many circ*mstances. Storms, accompanied by heavy wind and lightning, are major causes of power outages. However, people and animals can also cause the power to go out.

Why does wind knock out power? ›

High winds during hurricanes (or other powerful storm systems) can lead to outages in a variety of ways. Some of the more common scenarios include falling trees bringing down power lines, lines making contact with one another or with tree limbs, and power poles getting knocked over.

What part of Texas was hit by a tornado? ›

The teams were looking at damage across Montague, Cooke, Denton, and Collin counties. The teams found that damage in south Montague County, near Forestburg, was consistent with an EF-2 tornado with estimated maximum winds of 125 mph.

Where did the tornado hit in Denton, Texas? ›

A deadly twister from the severe thunderstorms struck along the Denton-Cooke county line on Interstate 35. Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington said in a news conference that at least seven people were killed and more than 100 were injured near Valley View.

What time did the tornado hit Valley View, TX today? ›

It was around 10:45 pm on Saturday that authorities said a tornado with maximum winds of 135 mph struck and battered a long stretch of land.

What size tornado hit Valley View, TX? ›

The National Weather Service confirmed the tornado was an EF2, which is the fourth most severe on a scale of six. The tornado brought winds of about 135 mph to the Valley View area in Cooke County, according to WFAA News, an ABC affiliate in Dallas. Among the dead were four children, Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed Sunday.

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