(NEW YORK) — More than 102,000 customers in Texas and Louisiana are without power after a storm system ripe with tornado conditions ripped through the region, according to PowerOutage.us.
Eight tornados were reported in Iowa and Texas overnight with some severe damage reported.
Texas, Louisiana, Iowa and Minnesota were just some of the states that were under a tornado watch on Tuesday from a system that affected 45 million Americans with severe weather through the night, according to the National Weather Service. Tornados and heavy gusts were forecast from Little Rock, Arkansas, to Memphis, Tennessee, to Evansville, Indiana.
On Monday night, at least six tornados were reported in nearby Arkansas.
More tornados are expected on Wednesday. The biggest threat for strong tornadoes Wednesday will be from Indianapolis to St. Louis; Louisville, Kentucky; Memphis, Tennessee; Little Rock, Arkansas; and down to Jackson, Mississippi. A tornado watch has been issued for portions of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri and southern Illinois through Wednesday afternoon.
The severe tornado conditions are a continuation from March, which saw record-breaking tornado activity in the U.S. with 218 — the most to ever occur in that month, according to the National Weather Service.
The energy sector in Texas has been under scrutiny after an uncharacteristic winter freeze caused massive failures on the state’s power grid in 2021. The state experienced another mass power outage this past February as a result of another winter storm, when more than 50,000 customers lost power.
Last summer, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill to reform the state’s power grid and how it is operated in response to the power crisis.
More than 48,000 customers were without power in Texas as of Wednesday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us.
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