USA TODAY International Edition
More storms coming after winds lash south- central US
More than 250,000 customers remained without power Wednesday due to an intense line of severe thunderstorms that rolled across the south- central U. S. overnight Tuesday.
The squall line sprawled across 500 miles and took aim at many major cities, including Houston, New Orleans, Dallas, Oklahoma City and St. Louis, AccuWeather said.
According to weather. com, the storm yielded more than 250 reports of severe weather in the 24 hours ending early Wednesday, from Illinois, Missouri and southeastern Kansas to parts of Texas and Louisiana. Most of those reports were for wind damage, strong thunderstorm winds or large hail.
Most of the power outages were in Texas and Louisiana, according to poweroutage. us.
The severe line of thunderstorms may have met the criteria for a derecho,
AccuWeather said. Derechoes are often referred to as inland hurricanes due to the hurricanelike conditions, in terms of ferocious wind and torrential rain.
“The line of thunderstorms appears to have met the criteria for derecho with a steady concentration of high wind reports along a path of at least 240 miles," AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.
Another round of severe weather was forecast for later Wednesday in the Southeast, with portions of Alabama, Georgia and much of the Florida Panhandle under the gun for damaging wind gusts, the Storm Prediction Center said. Montgomery, Alabama, and Atlanta were some of the bigger cities where severe storms were possible later Wednesday.
Although the severe weather threat will decrease on Thursday, heavy, drenching rain will be the main weather story in portions of the Mid- Atlantic and Northeast. Much of the region is under a flood watch due to predicted rain.