Damaged pickup trucks sit among debris after a tornado passed through a residential area in Perryton, Texas, Thursday, June 15, 2023. (AP Photo/David Erickson)
High temperatures prompted severe storms, power outages and wildfire warnings in the Southwest over the weekend as forecasters warn residents to take further precautions.
Large portions of the South remain under heat advisories and severe weather warnings Monday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
The NWS said excessive rainfall and severe thunderstorms are possible across the Gulf Coast, the Southeast and the Carolinas, while excessive heat warnings and heat advisories were in effect from Texas to Louisiana.
The weather service also said that Arizona and New Mexico are facing a critical fire weather risk.
“A stalled-out upper trough will promote heavy rainfall and thunderstorms, some severe, across the southeastern quadrant of the [contiguous United States] over the next few days,” the weather service said. “Therefore, Juneteenth will be stormy and rainy across much of the Southeast this year.”
These warnings and advisories come after severe weather swept across the country over the weekend. The NWS confirmed that a tornado touched down near Scranton, Ark., on Sunday morning.
Fox Weather also reported that one person is dead after a suspected tornado touched down in Louin, Miss., on Sunday evening. The weather service in the region also retweeted photos of damage caused by the storms in the area.
Severe weather also prompted thousands of power outages across the South. According to PowerOutage.us, more than 210,000 power outages have been reported in Oklahoma while more than 80,000 outages were reported in both Texas and Louisiana. Mississippi and Arkansas also saw outages, with more than 40,000 and 30,000 reported, respectively.
The NWS forecasted that 1-3 inches of rain is expected in the Gulf Coast region on Monday. The risk of fire weather in Arizona and New Mexico is increased and heat advisories remain in effect for Texas and Louisiana.
The Arizona State Forestry tweeted Monday that a wildfire near a state highway is about 250 acres, and said traffic will be adjusted due to the fires.
“High temperatures in the 100s and lows in the upper 70s and 80s will support the continued Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories that have been in effect for much of central/southern Texas and Louisiana,” the weather service said.
“Temperatures will remain well below average across the West as an amplifying upper trough moves into the Great Plains. Very dry, warm and windy conditions will support a Critical Risk of Fires across Arizona and New Mexico through Tuesday,” the service added.
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