Severe storms leave over 1 million in Texas without power

Over a million people were left without power after severe weather occurred in Texas over the Memorial Day weekend and into Tuesday, according to reports.

The weather, which included “damaging” winds and “baseball-sized” hail, left one dead, according to the Associated Press. The severe weather and power outages hit Texas amid a heatwave, lashing the state with thunderstorms and the threat of tornadoes and leaving nursing homes relying on generators for power.

American Airlines reported winds up to the speed of 80 mph, resulting in 500 flights being canceled, including 200 at Dallas Love Field Airport alone.

The power outage also left polling stations in northern Texas inoperable, according to the Texas Tribune, and one expert suggested voting turnout could be down as a result.

“Bad weather will aggravate that low turnout,” said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

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Power company Oncor estimated power will be returned by Friday, according to the Dallas Morning News, though by Wednesday morning, 400,000 Texans were still without power, according to USA Today.

Power outages due to inclement weather are common in Texas, leading to incidents such as the 2021 power outage that swept across the state in the face of a freezing winter.