Severe Weather Hits East Texas

EAST TEXAS — East Texans encountered widespread severe weather beginning early Tuesday evening. No tornadoes were reported. But because of straight line winds, some as high as 70 miles an hour, there have been reports of downed trees and power lines. Among the hardest-hit areas were Upshur County, Rusk County, Gregg County, Jacksonville, the Hallsville and Nesbitt areas of Harrison County, and Pittsburg. In Lufkin, a woman was killed when struck by lightning. In the Mixon area, in northern Cherokee County, a lightning strike started an oil tank fire. A roof was peeled back on a barn in the Troup area. There were also reports of hail and numerous power outages in East Texas. A tornado watch was posted late Tuesday afternoon and expired at 10:00 Tuesday night.