PlayAt a Glance At least one person was killed as severe weather moved through Texas Tuesday.
Power outages spiked to more than 1 million.
Millions of people suffered through power outages in blazing heat in the Dallas metro and across parts of eastern Texas Tuesday.
(MORE: Hot Weather And Power Outages A Deadly Combination)Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, the county's top official, signed a disaster declaration and noted that power could be out for several days.
(Michael Beard/LSM)Advertisement The severe weather was expected to continue into the evening but lessen on Wednesday.
Play
At a Glance At least one person was killed as severe weather moved through Texas Tuesday.
Power outages spiked to more than 1 million.
Flooding and high winds hit the Dallas area. Sign up for the Morning Brief email newsletter to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.
Millions of people suffered through power outages in blazing heat in the Dallas metro and across parts of eastern Texas Tuesday.
Storms ripping through the region packed winds up to at least 70 mph, with one gust reported at 86 mph. There was also large hail and dangerous flooding.
At least one person was killed in a structure collapse in the Houston area, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department. Emergency crews responded to the call of a weather-related industrial accident Tuesday afternoon in Magnolia, on the northwest side of Houston.
More than 1 million homes, businesses and other utility customers were without power Tuesday evening, according to PowerOutage.us. By Wednesday morning, the number was down to about 436,000.
About one third of the outages on Tuesday were in Dallas County.
Each power outage represents a single utility customer, which can include multiple people or households on one account.
(MORE: Hot Weather And Power Outages A Deadly Combination)
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, the county's top official, signed a disaster declaration and noted that power could be out for several days.
“This is not a [power] generation problem like we sometimes have when it’s cold or in the heat of the summer,” Jenkins said during a news conference, according to the Dallas Morning News. “This is a broken lines problem brought about by straight-line winds.”
Storm damage is seen in Terrell, Texas, near Dallas-Fort Worth on Tuesday, May 28,2024. (Michael Beard/LSM)
Advertisement The severe weather was expected to continue into the evening but lessen on Wednesday.
The outages come as summer temperatures heat up in the Dallas area, but things aren't as bad as they could be.
"Though temperatures will still be hot, daily highs are expected to be slightly below average for this time of year through the remainder of the week," weather.com digital meteorologist Madeline Scheinost said. "This means highs in the 80s as opposed to the upper 90s we've seen in the last few days."
(MORE: Food Safety In A Power Outage: What You Need To Know)
Much of the central and southern U.S. has been pounded by a relentless string of severe weather this month.
More than two dozen deaths in several states are being connected to storms over the Memorial Day weekend, including at least seven people who died when a tornado ripped apart a mobile home park about 50 miles north of Dallas. Seven others were killed earlier in the month when storms tore through the Houston area.
(MORE: Here's What To Know About Pets And Power Outages)
Overall, this month has been the most active May for severe weather in 13 years, according to an analysis by weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman. As of Memorial Day, NOAA's Storm Prediction Center had counted more than 5,500 preliminary reports of severe thunderstorms in May.
The latest outbreak, which started on May 19, included at least 165 tornadoes.
Weather.com reporter Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.
