Severe Weather Surge in Texas: Worst Season in 13 Years

Severe Weather Surge in Texas Worst Season in 13 Years

With wind gusts of over 70 mph and thunderstorms triggering new tornado warnings in Texas, the most active spring for severe weather in the United States in 13 years continued Tuesday.

Over the Memorial Day weekend, twisters tore through the Great Plains and Midwest, killing 22 people and leaving miles-long paths of destruction in their wake.

The National Weather Service issued a shelter-in-place warning to residents of Fort Worth, Texas, as dangerous weather erupted again early on Tuesday. Just before 6 a.m. CT, wind gusts of 77 mph were recorded in the area.

The cities of Garland, Mesquite, and Richardson, as well as all other inhabitants southeast of Dallas, were under a tornado warning from the NWS by 6:30 a.m.

Large hail and wind gusts above 80 mph were among the severe weather that occurred in Dallas County, Texas, on Tuesday. Officials warned that tornadoes could form during the day and into Tuesday night.

A statement from American Airlines stated that wind had an effect on a number of its commercial aircraft at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Tuesday morning, wind gusts forced an American Airlines 737-800 aircraft away from a gate, as seen on security cameras at the airport.

“Severe weather, including straight-line wind gusts up to 80 mph, at our Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) hub affected several parked unoccupied aircraft. There were no injuries. Our maintenance team is currently conducting thorough inspections and will make any needed repairs,” American Airlines stated in its statement.

Additionally, Waco, Austin, San Antonio, Abilene, and Midland were also experiencing severe storms. In many areas of central and northern Texas, flash flooding is also being caused by the heavy rain that is predicted to continue over the next 24 hours. From Dallas to San Antonio, 3 to 5 inches of rain are expected.

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The situation was exacerbated by widespread power disruptions. The biggest electricity provider in Texas, Oncor, stated on Tuesday morning that hundreds of thousands of its customers were without power.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins cautioned during a press conference on Tuesday that some residents could have to wait a long time to have their electricity restored.

Over the past four days, at least 1,336 strong storms have devastated a significant portion of the country, spanning from Texas through the Midwest and up to the Northeast. The strongest storms since 2011 have occurred this spring.

Over the course of the holiday weekend, 76 reports of tornadoes were received by the National Weather Service from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas.

According to officials, at least 22 people lost their lives as a result of extreme weather events over the weekend.

More than 200 homes or buildings were destroyed and another 120 were damaged, according to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who also stated that 106 counties in the state had disaster declarations over the weekend.

About 60 miles northwest of Dallas, near Valley View, Texas, one of the most damaging twisters made landfall on Saturday. According to officials, it killed seven people, including two children from the same family.

According to officials, the FRF Estates subdivision and the Gateway AP Travel Center in Valley View suffered significant damage as a result of the North Texas twisters.

The National Weather Service reported that the Valley View tornado, which had speeds of up to 135 mph and was rated an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita tornado rating scale, was the deadliest to hit Texas since a twister near Dallas killed 10 people in December 2015.

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With more than two years of expertise in news and analysis, Eileen Stewart is a seasoned reporter. Eileen is a respected voice in this field, well-known for her sharp reporting and insightful analysis. Her writing covers a wide range of subjects, from politics to culture and more.