Hundreds of thousands of Texans continued to experience extreme heat and humidity Sunday as a fleet of utility workers tried to restore power three days after a tornado and tornadoes tore through the Houston area, killing seven.
The heat index — what the temperature feels like — is expected to rise in the Houston area each day during the first half of the week, reaching triple digits on Tuesday and Wednesday. CenterPoint Energy, the region’s largest electricity provider, estimated that 80% of its 2.6 million customers would have power restored by Sunday night.
Meanwhile, more than 9 million people face a slight to moderate risk of more severe weather Sunday afternoon and evening, with the National Weather Service reporting the potential for a similar high wind event in central Kansas. A slight risk of severe weather extends north from Oklahoma into South Dakota, across western Nebraska and into the northwest corner of Missouri.
Damaging winds of 80 to 100 mph may occur, and localized severe gusts over 100 mph are possible, starting at 2 to 4 p.m. Central time, the weather service said. This could include very large hailstones and a few tornadoes.
A slight risk of severe weather is also expected on the southeast Florida coast from north of Cape Canaveral south to Miami.
A heat warning is also in effect for South Florida on Sunday, with the heat index likely to reach 106-110 in Miami and the Florida Keys.
“Extreme summer-like heat” will continue across the central United States from south Texas to the southern High Plains on Monday and Tuesday, with temperatures likely to reach record highs, the National Weather Service warned Sunday.
Severe weather updates Sunday
- Storms were already reported in Nebraska before noon central time on Sunday. The weather service said 3.05 inches of rain and 2.89 inches of rain had fallen in Red Willow County by 10:15 a.m. Normal rainfall for May in nearby North Platte is 3.2 inches.
- In Kansas, the weather service said the most severe storms were expected to affect central Kansas and parts of northeastern Kansas, and there was a possibility that winds of more than 80 mph would move into the area after 7 p.m. local time, and move to Missouri soon. After midnight.
- Hailfalls of 2 to 3 inches were reported in Ellis, Kansas, around 2:25 p.m. local time, where a severe thunderstorm warning was issued, the weather service said.
Houston storm toppled high voltage towers
A derecho storm in Texas on Thursday evening toppled high-voltage towers and trees and downed power lines across the region, causing an estimated $5 billion or more in damage.
The City of Houston posted on Sunday morning the 10th that it would work to determine “whether Houstonians can safely return to work downtown or should work from home on Monday.” In addition to restoring electricity, the city said its priorities are providing ice, water, and cooling centers to affected residents.
On Saturday night, CenterPoint Energy said more than 2,000 employees and 5,000 contractors were working in the area. They expect storm-related restoration operations to be “substantially complete” by Wednesday evening.
By prioritizing key public safety facilities such as hospitals, police and fire departments and water treatment plants, the company reported that it restored about 60% of outages — more than 550,000 customers — in the first 48 hours after the storm.
Off Grid: US and Texas Power Outage Tracker
“We made progress overnight but there is still more work to do,” the company posted on X on Sunday morning. “Crews – including mutual aid support – are fanning out across the city to continue working to restore power to the remaining affected customers.”
“We understand that the high temperatures we are seeing throughout Houston and the surrounding communities make it even more important to get lights and air conditioning back on,” Lena Wilson, the company’s senior vice president of electrical business, said Saturday.
Power also remains without power to about 3,800 customers in western Louisiana, which was also hit by part of Thursday’s storms.
In addition to the strong, straight-line winds that struck southeast Texas, the weather service confirmed at least two tornadoes, including an EF-1 tornado with winds up to 100 mph near Pine Island, Texas, and another EF-1 tornado Near Cypress, Texas. in Harris County with winds of 110 mph.
What is Derecho?
A derrico is a widespread wind storm associated with bands of fast-moving rain or thunderstorms that may be referred to as bow echoes and squall lines.
A tornado can cause damage similar to a tornado, but the damage usually occurs in one direction along a relatively straight path, referred to as “straight-line wind damage,” according to the Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center.
According to the weather service’s definition, derecho wind damage extends at least 400 miles and is at least 60 miles wide with wind gusts greater than 58 mph along most of its length with pockets of wind gusts greater than 75 mph.
The Storm Prediction Center said the word “derecho” was first used by Gustavus Hinrichs, a physics professor at the University of Iowa, to explain the difference between wind gusts and tornadoes.
Houston has had at least two previous derechos in May. On May 4-5, 1989, a tornado exploded over the Dallas-Fort Worth area and moved south over central Texas and into southwestern Louisiana, damaging or destroying more than 100 mobile homes and downing power poles, according to the Storm Prediction Center. .
On May 17, 1986, the Dericho River tore through Texas from Temple south to the coast from south Galveston to Beaumont, an event that proved fatal to recreational boaters on several lakes and in Galveston Bay. Hundreds of boats capsized, and 140 people were rescued. At least six boat drivers died.
Dinah Voyles Pulver covers climate and environment for USA TODAY. Contact her at dpulver@gannett.com or @dinahvp.
