Widespread severe thunderstorms with hurricane-force winds and huge hail poured inches of rain onto North Texas on Tuesday morning, cutting power to hundreds of thousands, downing trees and damaging buildings.
The National Weather Service warned the storms had the potential for significant wind gusts to 80 mph with large hail. Reports of hail size varied from marble-sized to tennis ball-sized.
After the storms passed, data showed wind gusts reached 95 mph, which is 1 mph shy of the speed for a Category 2 hurricane, and many parts of the Metroplex received several inches of rain.
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POWER OUTAGES
On Tuesday morning, Oncor reported power outages to more than 620,000 customers. By 4 p.m. that number had been trimmed to 520,000 without power as officials in Dallas County warned residents that restoring power could take days.
In a statement on Oncor's Storm Center website, they said they were working as quickly as possible to restore power safely.
"We are currently monitoring and responding to outages caused by thunderstorms producing large hail and wind gusts up 80 mph in DFW and surrounding areas. Severe storm watches and warnings remain in effect for parts of our service area. We appreciate your patience as we work as quickly and safely as possible to restore power. To report a power outage or check the status, text OUT to 66267, use the MyOncor app, click “Report an Outage” on the map, or call 888-313-4747. Safety for our teams and the public remains Oncor’s number one priority. If you see a downed power line, please stay away, keep pets and others away and call 911 immediately. "
On Wednesday, Oncor said they hoped to have most of the power restored by Friday though some of the harder-hit areas would not have power restored until Saturday.
Tuesday is also Election Day. Power outages have led to delays at area polling centers where voters are expected to cast ballots in the primary runoff.
DART DELAYS
Dallas Area Rapid Transit reported Tuesday that power outages, downed trees and other debris were slowing light rail.
DART’s Rail System is experiencing delays due to the inclement weather - this includes issues with fallen limbs across the tracks as well as power outages across our service areas including some DART rail stations. IMPORTANT: If you see a crossing arm that is down, please find an alternate route, it is never safe to go around a downed crossing arm. DART Police are working to get personnel on platforms for customer service; Patrol Units are checking grade crossing across the system. Utilize the Go Pass App for updates and to find alternate routes.
DART has also warned that bus passengers may experience delays.
MORE RAIN EXPECTED TUESDAY, LATER THIS WEEK
The upcoming week will be unsettled with daily storm chances. Some storms may be severe, but heavy rain could become a larger threat as much of North Texas could receive three to five inches of rain between this evening and Sunday. The good news is that temperatures will be lower with highs in the low to mid 80s much of the week. Get the latest forecast from NBC 5's Team of Weather Experts here.
MEMORIAL DAY HAIL
North Texans experienced unseasonably hot and humid weather on Memorial Day. While most of the day featured sunshine, there were a few thunderstorms late in the day. These storms brought threats of hail and high winds. Photos of hail seen across North Texas are pictured below.
At 19:43 5/27 Christopher.
