Dallas Affected By Weather – Storms, Blackouts, And Fallen Trees

According to officials, some people in Dallas-Fort Worth may have power disruptions that last several days.

Tuesday morning brought strong storms and weather sirens that knocked out electricity to over 600,000 residents in North Texas.

Around midday, officials reported that the storms had caused power line outages and tree damage due to their high straight-line winds and floods. Some people may experience disruptions for several days.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins described the scale of the destruction as “extraordinary.”

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For a large portion of the Dallas-Fort Worth region, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning and severe thunderstorm watch through 11 a.m. on Tuesday. Over the following several days, more severe weather is possible, according to authorities.

Was a tornado present?

From early Tuesday morning until 6:30 a.m., officials in several counties close to Dallas and Fort Worth issued a tornado warning, citing the possibility of damaging gusts of up to 80 mph and hail the size of half a dollar.

Early in the day, felled trees and powerlines accounted for the majority of the damage reported.

According to Steve Fano of the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, meteorologists might not be able to determine if a tornado developed or touched down on Tuesday morning.

Although there was some rotation in the region when severe winds were present, he claimed that “the odds of witnessing visual funnels or tornadoes in the dark are close to impossible” due to the time.

According to Fano, even a small tornado could not do as much broad damage as the winds.

Is driving in the rain safe?

As personnel tried to restore electricity, officials warned potential drivers to avoid the roadways late on Tuesday morning. At a press conference, Oncor and county authorities encouraged residents to stay in their homes because to the significant damage caused by downed electrical lines that may still be active and tree branches.

Authorities urged motorists to exercise cautious and budget additional time for their travel. According to AAA and the Texas Department of Transportation, drivers who are battling the rain should refrain from utilising cruise control, applying severe brakes, or making abrupt turns.

Where are the blackouts occurring?

Oncor’s outage map showed that more than 500,000 individuals were without power on Tuesday morning. The following counties had at least 1,000 affected residents: Tarrant, Kaufman, Dallas, Collin, Denton, Ellis, Rockwall, and Wise.

As of 9:50 a.m., Dallas County reported 355,941 outages, the highest number. Dallas Oncor customers accounted for 190,687 of the city’s recorded power outages as of 9 p.m.

How is a power loss reported?

You may text OUT to 66267, use the MyOncor app, click “Report an Outage” on the map, or call 888-313-4747 to report a power outage or check the status.

For how long will I be without power?

Dallas County is anticipated to see power disruptions over many days, according to authorities on Tuesday. Officials stated that although some people could have their power back sooner, others might not.

The first task for the crews will be to turn back the electricity to vital facilities like police stations and hospitals. According to Lewis Jenkins, personnel will then give priority to places with high population density and power that can be promptly restored.

Oncor stated on its website that it was keeping an eye on outages and reacting to them on Tuesday morning.

The advisory stated, “Oncor’s first focus continues to be the safety of our personnel and the general public.” “Please stay away, keep dogs and other people away, and phone 911 immediately if you notice a downed power line.”

Are election voting locations open?

In North Texas, several polling places were operational throughout the early hours of Tuesday, the day of the Republican and Democratic primary runoffs, while others had power outages. Polls in Kaufman County will be open until eight o’clock in the evening.

Lewis Jenkins reported at noon that 180 polling places were open and 103 polling places in Dallas County were without electricity. Lewis Jenkins pointed out that Dallas has “county-wide voting,” which allows voters to go to an other site in case one close by is unavailable.

Are companies and schools closing?

The Dallas Zoo and Dallas Arboretum are two establishments that have been hit by the weather and have had to close.

Grocery establishments are among the others that are either temporarily shuttered or are using backup generators.

Garland ISD will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday because of power outages and safety concerns.

The graduation ceremonies held by Grand Prairie ISD could have been affected by the power outages as well. The ceremonies at Texas Trust CU Theatre are set for tomorrow; however, if the theatre does not regain power in time, they could have to be rescheduled for Friday. According to the district, pupils will be informed by Wednesday at nine a.m.

Source:
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/weather/2024/05/28/storms-power-outages-downed-trees-what-to-know-about-how-the-weather-impacted-dallas/

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