The United States is currently experiencing one of the most eventful springs in terms of severe weather in over a decade. This trend continued on Tuesday, as wind gusts exceeding 70 mph and thunderstorms led to new tornado warnings in Texas. These warnings came in the aftermath of twisters that wreaked havoc in the Great Plains and Midwest during the Memorial Day weekend, tragically claiming the lives of 22 individuals and leaving behind extensive paths of destruction.
Dangerous weather conditions struck central Texas once again on Tuesday morning. The National Weather Service issued a shelter-in-place warning to the residents of Fort Worth, as wind gusts reaching 77 mph were reported in the area around 6 a.m. CT.
At 6:30 a.m., residents southeast of Dallas, including the cities of Garland, Mesquite, and Richardson, received a tornado warning from the NWS.
Severe weather wreaked havoc on Tuesday in Dallas County, Texas, with reports of large-sized hail and wind gusts exceeding 80 mph. Officials have warned of the potential for tornadoes to develop throughout the day and into Tuesday night.
American Airlines issued a statement stating that wind gusts at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport affected a number of its commercial jets. Security cameras at the airport recorded the powerful winds pushing an American Airlines 737-800 aircraft away from its gate on Tuesday morning.
According to a statement by American Airlines, severe weather conditions, including strong wind gusts of up to 80 mph, affected multiple unoccupied aircraft at their Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) hub. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. The airline’s maintenance team is currently conducting comprehensive inspections and will address any necessary repairs.
Severe storms are currently battering multiple cities in Texas, including Waco, Austin, San Antonio, Abilene, and Midland. The heavy rain associated with these storms is expected to persist for the next 24 hours, leading to flash-flooding in various areas of central and northern Texas. Meteorologists predict that Dallas to San Antonio could receive between 3 to 5 inches of rainfall.
Hundreds of thousands of customers were left without power on Tuesday morning, exacerbating the already dire situation. Oncor, Texas’ leading electrical provider, reported widespread power outages across the state.
During a news conference on Tuesday, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins issued a warning, stating that certain residents may have to endure an extended wait to have their power restored.
Jenkins expressed his concern over the power outage situation, stating that it would unfortunately last for multiple days. He also declared a state of disaster for Dallas County.
Jenkins explained that the issue at hand was caused by straight-line winds, resulting in a broken lines problem.
Oncor is currently prioritizing the restoration of power to critical infrastructure, which includes hospitals and nursing homes that were relying on emergency generators to operate on Tuesday, stated Jenkins.
According to Grant Cruise, a spokesperson for Oncor, a storm hit the utility company’s service territory at around 5 a.m. on Tuesday. The storm brought with it baseball-size hail, winds exceeding 80 mph, and a substantial amount of cloud-to-ground lightning.
As of 11:30 a.m. ET, Cruise reported that over 600,000 Oncor customers were currently experiencing a power outage.
Scott Forester, the chief of Dallas County Emergency Management, issued a warning urging people to steer clear of the numerous downed powerlines in the area.
“We prioritize our safety above all else. It is essential to take precautions and avoid any contact with downed power lines. It is crucial to assume that every downed line is live,” emphasized Forester.
In the past four days, a staggering 1,336 severe storms have swept through a significant portion of the country, spanning from Texas all the way up to the Northeast, causing widespread devastation. This spring has experienced the highest number of severe storms since 2011.
Over the holiday weekend, the National Weather Service recorded a total of 76 tornado reports in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas.
Officials have reported that severe weather incidents over the weekend resulted in the tragic loss of at least 22 lives.
According to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, disaster declarations were issued for 106 counties in Texas over the weekend. He also stated that more than 200 homes or structures were destroyed and another 120 were damaged.
A devastating tornado struck Valley View, Texas on Saturday, resulting in seven fatalities, including two children from a single family, according to officials. The twister, which occurred approximately 60 miles northwest of Dallas, caused significant destruction to the FRF Estates community and the Gateway AP Travel Center in Valley View.
The National Weather Service confirmed the Valley View tornado as an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita tornado rating scale, with winds reaching up to 135 mph. This tornado was the most lethal to strike Texas since December 2015, when a twister near Dallas claimed the lives of 10 individuals.
The Bolden family members informed ABC News that they were passing through Valley View when a tornado warning caused them to stop and find refuge at the Gateway AP Travel Center.
“We exited the store and entered the building when suddenly, just five minutes later, the power abruptly shut off,” recounted Anjelic Bolden during her interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Tuesday. “In that moment, sheer panic enveloped me, and I instinctively sought refuge in the bathroom, where I crouched under the sink. It was a terrifying ordeal, unlike anything I had ever encountered before.”
Kenneth Bolden Sr. recounted how he and his son sought refuge in the men’s room of the travel center when the roof collapsed.
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Bolden Sr. recounted his experience during the incident, describing how his ears were popping and the chaos that ensued. He expressed how it was difficult to focus on anything with everything in motion, people screaming, and babies crying. All he wanted was for it to be over.
Holiday travelers at airports in Dallas, Atlanta, and New York City experienced significant delays due to the hazardous weather conditions.