Hundreds of thousands of Texans continued to struggle with unrelenting heat Sunday as utility workers tried to restore power, three days after a derecho and several tornadoes ripped through the Houston area, killing seven people. It was humid and sweltering.
The heat index (feeling temperature) is expected to rise each day in the Houston area through the first half of the week, reaching triple digits on Tuesday and Wednesday. CenterPoint Energy, the region’s largest utility, expects power to be restored to 80% of its 2.6 million customers by Sunday night.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service is reporting the possibility of a similar strong wind derecho in central Kansas, putting more than 9 million people at risk of mild to even more severe weather Sunday afternoon and evening. It is said to be moderate. There is a slight risk of severe weather from Oklahoma north across South Dakota and western Nebraska to the northwest corner of Missouri.
According to the National Weather Service, damaging winds of 80 to 160 mph are possible between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Central Time, with locally extreme gusts exceeding 160 mph possible. be. This could include very large hail and some tornadoes.
A slight risk of severe weather is also expected along the southeast Florida coast from Cape Canaveral north to Miami south.
A heat advisory is also in effect for the South Florida region on Sunday, with heat index temperatures of 106 to 110 possible in Miami and the Florida Keys.
The National Weather Service warned Sunday that a “summer-like heat wave” will continue across the central United States from south Texas to the southern High Plains from Monday into Tuesday, with record temperatures likely to reach triple digits.
Sunday Severe Weather Update
- Storms were already reported in Nebraska just before noon CT Sunday. By 10:15 a.m., 3.05 inches and 2.89 inches of rain had fallen in Red Willow County, according to the weather service. The normal rainfall in May in nearby North Platte is 3.2 inches.
- In Kansas, the most severe storms are expected to impact parts of central Kansas and northeast Kansas, with winds of more than 130 mph hitting the region after 7 p.m. local time and soon The National Weather Service announced that it could blow into Missouri. It’s past midnight.
- According to the National Weather Service, a severe thunderstorm warning was issued at around 2:25 p.m. local time in Ellis, Kansas, where 2 to 3 inches of hail was reported.
High-voltage tower collapses in Houston storm
A derecho storm in Texas on Thursday night brought down high-voltage towers and trees, downed power lines across the region and caused an estimated $5 billion in damage.
The city of Houston posted on Sunday morning that it would work to determine “if Houston residents can safely return to their downtown workplaces or should work from home starting Monday.” In addition to restoring power, the city said its priority is to provide ice, water and cooling centers to affected residents.
CenterPoint Energy announced Saturday night that it has more than 2,000 employees and 5,000 contractors working in the area. Storm-related repairs are expected to be “substantially complete” by Wednesday evening.
The company said it restored approximately 60% of power outages (more than 550,000 customers) in the first 48 hours after the storm, prioritizing key public safety facilities such as hospitals, police and fire departments, and water treatment plants.
OFF THE GRID: US and Texas power outage tracker
“While progress was made overnight, there is still work to be done,” the company wrote in a post on X on Sunday morning. “Crews, including Mutual Aid Support, are out across the city and continue to work to restore power to the remaining affected customers.”
“As temperatures rise across Houston and surrounding areas, we understand that restoring lighting and air conditioning has become even more important,” Lin’ae Wilson, the company’s senior vice president of electric operations, said Saturday. “There is,” he said.
Approximately 3,800 customers also remain without power in western Louisiana due to Thursday’s storm.
In addition to the strong straight-line winds that battered Southeast Texas, the weather service reported at least one EF-1 tornado with winds of 160 mph near Pine Island, Texas, and another EF-1 tornado near Cypress, Texas. Two tornadoes were confirmed. , in Harris County, with maximum wind speeds of 110 mph.
What is a derecho?
A derecho is a widespread wind storm with a rapidly moving band of showers or thunderstorms, also known as a bow echo or squall line.
Derechos can cause destruction similar to tornadoes, but the damage typically occurs in one direction along a relatively straight path, called “straight-line wind damage,” according to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center.
According to the National Weather Service definition, a derecho’s wind damage extends for at least 400 miles, is at least 90 miles wide, has gusts of 58 mph or more along most of its length, and has winds of 125 mph or more. blows.
According to the Storm Prediction Center, the term “derecho” was first used by Gustav Hinrichs, a physics professor at the University of Iowa, to describe the difference between such storms and tornadoes.
Houston had at least two derechos in May. According to the Storm Prediction Center, between May 4 and 5, 1989, a derecho blew through the Dallas-Fort Worth area, moved south through central Texas and into southwestern Louisiana, damaging more than 100 mobile homes. They are said to have destroyed and destroyed power lines, as well as toppling telephone poles. .
On May 17, 1986, a derecho moved south through Texas from Temple to the coast from Galveston south to Beaumont, a deadly event for boaters on several lakes and Galveston Bay. . Hundreds of boats capsized and 140 people had to be rescued. At least six people on the boat were killed.
Dinah Boyles Pulver covers climate and the environment for USA TODAY. Contact us at dpulver@gannett.com or @dinahvp.
