North Texas Latest Round Of Disastrous Weather

More than 622,000 people were without power in North Texas. About 356,000 are in Dallas County, and the rest are evenly split between Collin, Tarrant, and Denton counties.

The storm swept east across the metro area with its 80-mile-per-hour winds and golf-ball-sized hail. In response to Oncor's warning that outages for a 'significant number of customers' could persist for days, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins promptly issued a disaster declaration. The city estimates that hundreds of traffic lights are currently non-operational.

"This is not a generation problem like we sometimes have when it's cold or in the heat of the summer," Jenkins said during a press conference. "This is a broken lines problem brought about by straight-line winds."
The storm began a little before 5 a.m. northwest of Dallas and began marching south, growing in intensity.

Dallas Area Rapid Transit says its trains and buses are delayed because of fallen tree limbs and other track debris. However, the company is working tirelessly to clear the tracks and resume normal operations.

The city operated its Outdoor Warning System—those sirens—in Far North, northeast, and southeast Dallas before expanding citywide. A tornado warning was in effect for Dallas County until 6:30 a.m., and Garland ISD canceled classes. Dallas ISD canceled all school-related activities.

Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde said 63 schools had lost power, and the district's 9400 N. Central Expressway headquarters had been "hit hard." "We've got folks dealing with broken windows, flooding, and fallen trees,"