On Tuesday morning, severe storms with damaging winds and hail pummeled North Texas, adding to the misery of an oppressive heat wave. The storms left nearly 800,000 customers without electricity, including close to 390,000 in Dallas County. The storms were part of a severe weather system that caused widespread damage and power outages across the US during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, killing at least 23 people. In Texas, the storms caused particularly severe damage in Cooke County, where a tornado tore through a mobile home park, killing seven people. Additionally, destructive storms caused deaths in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kentucky over the weekend. The severe weather comes as climate change contributes to the increasing intensity of storms worldwide. Late May is the peak of tornado season, and the recent storms have been exceptionally violent, producing very strong tornadoes. Experts attribute the recent severe weather to a persistent pattern of warm, moist air, which has provided the necessary conditions for tornado formation. The extreme heat and humidity have also exacerbated the impact of the storms, with the heat index reaching triple digits in parts of Texas. In Florida, several cities set new daily record highs on Monday, with temperatures reaching into the 90s.
Destructive Storms Pummel Texas, Causing Widespread Power Outages
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