Severe Thunderstorms Around the Area

EAST TEXAS – Severe thunderstorms sweep East Texas for a second straight day. The storms rolled through various parts of the area, including Smith and Gregg Counties, Wednesday afternoon, leaving thousands without power. Preliminary figures from KETK show that at one point Wednesday, over 4,000 customers were without electricity in Gregg County. Earlier in the day, some 3,000 in Harrison County were without power. Other area counties also experienced power outages, with Smith County authorities reporting a number of power lines down late in the afternoon. Crews continued working to restore electricity in the area.

For a while Tuesday night severe thunderstorm warnings were out for several area counties. Portions of Smith, Rusk, Upshur, Wood, Harrison and Panola counties were under warning for a time. With the storm came power outages. In Smith County, Oncor reported Tuesday night more than 1,000 people were without power, and Swepco reported 1,200 people without power.