Communities from Texas to New York were picking up the pieces Tuesday after a devastating holiday weekend brought tornadoes, storms and heavy rain that killed at least 24 people and left hundreds of thousands without power.
The period of severe weather is still not over in Texas, including the Dallas-Fort Worth area, which was battered Tuesday by early morning storms that knocked out power, downed trees, saw devastating hail and put the region in disorder.
More than a million Texas homes and businesses remained without power as of Tuesday afternoon, according to Poweroutage.us, and officials warn it could be several days before the lights — and air conditioning — are restored. come back.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said the electricity issue “will last for several days.”
Tuesday’s storms in North Texas come just days after a deadly system claimed the lives of at least seven people over the holiday weekend in neighboring Cooke County.
Memorial Day brought heavy downpours with very little visibility to Iowa, videos on social media show. Hailstones the size of golf balls could be seen hitting vehicles in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas.
Video posted on social media showed high winds and heavy rain in Lewisville, Texas, about 28 miles north of Dallas.
An American Airlines plane was pushed from a gate at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport by high winds, an airport spokesperson confirmed.
A hailstorm Monday was so strong in Hurst, Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, that it shattered the roof of a Walmart store, prompting shoppers to use nearby products to save themselves. shelter, according to videos posted on Instagram.
The Royse City Methodist Church in Rockwall, Texas, east of Dallas, was struck by lightning.
“No injuries were reported and the building is a total loss,” said Ariana Kistner, spokeswoman for the Rockwall Fire Department.
About 40 miles away in Frisco, two neighboring homes were struck by lightning Tuesday, causing heavy damage to one and moderate damage to the other, according to local firefighters. There were no injuries or casualties.
The devastating weather conditions spread across the region and much of the country. National Weather Service offices in Kentucky and Arkansas sent teams to survey the rubble from the deadly holiday storms. They found damage consistent with tornadoes of EF3 strength — the third highest rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale that measures tornado intensity, consistent with winds of up to 165 mph.
The Paducah, Ky., office said it was consulting with internal experts to determine whether the tornado should be classified as an EF4, the second highest classification, used when winds blow between 166 and 200 mph.
Drone camera footage showed the extent of storm damage in Paragould, Arkansas, where homes lost their roofs and some structures were almost completely demolished.
The Weather Service’s Damage Survey Team in Louisville, Kentucky, confirmed that two EF1 tornadoes touched down Sunday, with winds reaching 90 mph.
For the rest of the week and beyond, early signs are emerging that this turbulent and historic tornado season – there were 461 reports of tornadoes in May alone – may be slowing down.
The extreme heat that saw much of Texas and the Gulf Coast reach triple-digit temperatures over the past few days is finally easing, but the index – a measure of how hot it feels – could still reach 115 degrees Fahrenheit Tuesday, weather permitting. said the service.