Power Outages Continue Across Southern Us; Triple-Digit Heat Wave Grips Texas

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – More than 100,000 customers in the southern U.S. remained without power Monday following damaging storms, leaving residents searching for relief as sweltering temperatures continued to scorch the region.

Power outages for some customers in the piney woods of Texas could stretch late into this week as crews scrambled to make repairs. In some parts of Louisiana and Mississippi, the heat wave has been accompanied by heavy rain, punishing winds, thunderstorms and hail.

In Louisiana, officials closed nearly two dozen state offices Monday because of the risks of severe weather.

“It’s been unbearable,” Leigh Johnson, a resident of Mount Vernon, Texas, told Dallas television station KXAS. She had not had power for about three days.

“It’s been horrible because it’s like, the heat index has been so bad that literally, we’re having to sit in the cold baths to cool ourselves down. Our animals as well, we’re having to stick them in the bathtub just to keep them from having a heat stroke, it’s been that bad,” she said.

More than 120,000 customers were without power as of Monday morning in the eastern parts of Texas and portions of Louisiana and Oklahoma, according to Southwestern Electric Power Company. Another 4,000 customers were still waiting for electricity to come back in the Texas town of Perryton after a devastating tornado ripped through last week.

Officials projected hot and humid conditions across the South Monday, with temperatures climbing into the upper-90s over much of the region, according to the National Weather Service. Excessive heat warnings were in effect for wide swaths of Louisiana and Texas, pushing many cities to open cooling centers.

In Austin and San Antonio, highs were expected to again surpass 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius).

As temperatures reached the mid-90s in central Mississippi, high winds pummeled the state early Friday, blanketing the region with power outages. Electricity crews in Mississippi worked through the weekend, some on 16-hour shifts, to restore power to tens of thousands of homes.

Some people had trouble obtaining medication after power forced pharmacies and grocery stores to close, according to WLBT-TV. As crews were working to restore power a Mississippi, multiple tornadoes swept through the state overnight into Monday, killing one and injuring nearly two dozen.

A suspected tornado struck near Scranton, Arkansas early Sunday, destroying chicken houses and toppling trees onto homes, the National Weather Service said. There were no immediate reports of serious injuries.

Meteorologists said that dangerous and potentially record-breaking temperatures would continue into midweek over southern Texas and much of the Gulf Coast. Storms producing damaging winds, hail and possibly tornadoes could strike the lower Mississippi Valley.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency for north and central parts of his state after strong winds and severe weather caused widespread power outages on Saturday. On Sunday evening, more than 515,000 people were without electricity in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi, according to PowerOutage.us.

Catherine Haley was hosting her six grandchildren, ages 7 to 13, in Shreveport, Louisiana when the storm knocked out electricity to her block and many surrounding neighborhoods. Haley, who has trouble breathing, said they draped damp towels around their necks to try and stay cool, but when the heat became unbearable the family took refuge at a cooling center set up by the city.

“I am so grateful. We tried the first day to stay at home and they were just so uncomfortable. And then I have COPD, and the heat really took effect on me as well,” Haley, 64, said Sunday.

She said five of the grandchildren had just arrived from Houston for the summer when the storm hit, causing widespread damage. “Nice little welcome for them,” she joked.

In Florida, the weather service issued another heat advisory Sunday, this time mainly for the Florida Keys. Forecasters said heat index readings – the combination of high temperatures and oppressive humidity – could reach between 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42 Celsius) and 112 degrees (45 C) in places such as Key Largo, Marathon and Key West.

”These conditions will cause increased risk of heat illness for people outdoors or in non-air conditioned spaces,” the weather service said in a bulletin.

In the Southwest, where fire crews are battling multiple wildfires in Arizona and New Mexico, forecasters said triple-digit temperatures and gusty winds would lead to critical fire weather over the next couple of days. Sunday promised to be the hottest day of the year in Arizona, with highs up to 110 degrees (43.5 C) in Phoenix.

Winds were forecast to gust from 30 mph to 40 mph (48-64 kph) on Sunday east of Flagstaff, Arizona along the Interstate 40 corridor and up to 50 mph (80 kph) on Monday, creating potentially critical fire weather across much of northeast New Mexico.

A large brush fire that broke out Friday afternoon south of Tucson, Arizona shut down a state highway on Saturday. Arizona 83 reopened on Sunday and no homes were in immediate danger, authorities said.

The prolonged closure took a toll on local businesses during what’s usually a busy Father’s Day weekend in an area with recreational lakes and reservoirs.

–Associated Press writer Michael Goldberg in Jackson, Mississippi contributed to this report.

Top photo: A person stands in front of a tree that’s fallen as a result of a storm, Friday, June 16, 2023, in the South Highland neighborhood of Shreveport, La. (Henrietta Wildsmith/The Shreveport Times via AP)