Severe thunderstorms Monday night and Tuesday morning caused widespread power outages affecting hundreds of thousands of people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, along with other damage from large hail and wind gusts up to 80 mph.

More than 500,000 Oncor customers were still without electricity about 5 p.m. Tuesday after high winds downed trees and power lines. More than 300,000 of those customers were in Dallas County, while about 30,000 were in Tarrant County.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins signed a disaster declaration, saying that power outages are expected to last multiple days for a significant number of Oncor customers. An Oncor representative joined Jenkins at a news conference late Tuesday morning. Crews are working to restore power, beginning with buildings that are considered critical infrastructure, but the process is expected to be time-consuming, officials said.

“That does not mean if your power is out right now, that it will be out for multiple days,” Jenkins said at the conference, according to WFAA-TV. But “it certainly could be out for multiple days.”

Oncor official Grant Cruise asked residents to be patient and try to stay off the roads to make it easier for crews to do their work.

“It’s not going to be simple repairs,” Cruise said. “We’re looking at complete reconstruction for parts of our area.”

Electric outages Dallas - Fort Worth vicinity

Here is Oncor's power outages map. Outage information is sent from Oncor to the outage map every 10 minutes. Source: stormcenter.oncor.com

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To report a power outage or check the status of an outage, text OUT to 66267, use the MyOncor app, click “Report an Outage” on the map on the Oncor website, or call 888-313-4747.

As storms moved east, heavy rain continued in Dallas-Fort Worth on Tuesday morning with the threat of flooding. Multiple flash flood warnings were in effect in North Texas, and a severe thunderstorm watch continued until around 11 a.m. More storms were forecast Tuesday night.

Hail up to golf ball size fell in parts of Tarrant County including Bedford, Colleyville, Hurst, Euless, Arlington, Mansfield, Grapevine and Grand Prairie as well as the Dallas area on Monday night, according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.

Around 7 a.m. Tuesday, firefighters reported major wind damage at North Forney High School in Kaufman County.

Damage also was reported in the Lewisville area Tuesday morning, including at least one collapsed structure, according to the National Weather Service.

An 18-wheeler overturned on Texas 121 near Josey Lane. Multiple crashes also were reported along Interstate 35E.

The Garland school district canceled classes after a tornado warning and reports of wind damage that knocked trees onto houses and blocked roads early Tuesday morning. Students who were already on school buses were taken to the nearest building to wait out the storm.

Storm Reports

Additional storms were expected to enter the North Texas region from the west Tuesday night and continue into Wednesday morning, with the most likely timing in Dallas-Fort Worth between 12 and 5 a.m. Some of those storms may be severe with large hail and damaging winds, and a tornado or two cannot be ruled out, according to the weather service. Heavy rain may also cause additional flooding.

More severe weather is in the forecast Thursday afternoon and night with a round of thunderstorms entering from the west or northwest. Large hail, damaging winds and locally heavy rain will again be possible, especially west of the I-35 corridor.

A 60-80% chance of more storms is expected on Friday, and additional storm chances will linger throughout the weekend, the weather service said.

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