A storm system that could cause flooding, isolated tornadoes and hailstones the size of ping pong balls moved east across Texas on Tuesday morning, hours after high winds from the system damaged homes, knocked down trees and ripped a high school roof.
Several tornadoes swept through Central Texas starting late in the afternoon on Monday. Tornadic winds in and around Austin, the state capital, knocked over an 18-wheeler. In Elgin, about 40 kilometers east of the city, a mobile home was thrown onto the roof of a building.
Pictures of destroyed houses† broken trees and streets strewn with rubble in Jacksboro, about 90 miles northwest of Dallas, circulated widely on social media.
From early Tuesday, there were torrential rains in the Austin area, and a torrent warning it was in effect until 3.45 am. About 50,000 customers across Texas, mostly in the northeast part of the state, were without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us, a website that collects data from utilities in the United States.
Tornado watches were in effect until 8 a.m. for parts of Texas, including Houston and a population of more than 7.5 million people. The National Weather Service said scattered wind gusts of up to 75 miles per hour, a few tornadoes and isolated hailstorms were possible.
Other counties in Texas, southwestern Arkansas and northwestern Louisiana were under tornado watch until 3 a.m., the Weather Service said.
Although thunderstorms occur in the region year-round, severe weather peaks in March, April, and May.
As a strong front producing rain and snow moves east over the Rockies Tuesday, a low-pressure wave will develop over the Southern High Plains, the Weather Service said Monday. That system will draw moisture north across the plains and the Mississippi Valley from the Gulf of Mexico.
The rolling storms could cause frequent lightning, strong winds, hail, tornadoes and excessive rainfall that could lead to flash flooding, meteorologists said.
Here’s a look at the forecast by region.
Stormy weather started in Texas on Monday afternoon.
Several homes and buildings in central Texas were destroyed by heavy winds Monday, Governor Greg Abbott said at an evening news conference about 40 miles north of Austin. So far, no deaths had been reported, he said.
Judge Bill Gravell, Jr., of Williamson County, who joined the governor at the event, said several people were injured while protecting their homes from the storm, but officials did not provide specific numbers.
The storm also knocked down power lines, creating dangerous conditions, the judge said. As a result, he said, electricity would be cut in parts of the province “to protect first responders and to protect those making needed repairs.” He did not say when electricity would be restored.
Winds severely damaged a school in north central Texas.
“There is no roof anymore,” Starla Sanders, the principal of Jacksboro High School, told local television channel WFAA. The school ended “a little early” so students could go home safely, and no injuries were reported, Ms Sanders said.
She said she had heard reports that her home had also been damaged. “I haven’t been there,” Ms Sanders added. “The road is blocked, but that’s what people are saying – that there isn’t much left of my own house.”
Portions of Texas could see up to four inches of rain through Tuesday evening, with some areas receiving more rain along with possible flooding of the streets, the Houston Weather Service said:†
While there was uncertainty about the timing of the storms and which areas would receive the heaviest rain, meteorologists told residents to prepare.
On Tuesday, the showers will move to the southeast.
As storms move east on Tuesday, more than two million people in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi could experience severe weather. Cities in the storms’ path include Baton Rouge, La., and Jackson, Miss.
The biggest threat on Tuesday will be tornadoes and damaging winds before and after the storm, the Weather Service in New Orleans said:, adding that hail more than an inch in diameter could result. Up to three inches of rain is forecast. There is also a risk of a tornado outbreak on Tuesday.
Areas of Mississippi can see winds as high as 70 miles per hour and hail the size of golf balls, forecasters said:†
About two inches of rain is expected in Memphis. Less rain is expected in areas to the east, including Georgia.
Parts of the east coast have a small risk of severe weather as of Wednesday.
Mike Ives and David Montgomery reporting contributed.