Severe thunderstorms threaten Texas and Oklahoma

The National Weather Service (NWS) warned of dangerous thunderstorms Tuesday morning in the southern part of the country, moving eastward throughout the day.

"Severe thunderstorms with a threat for tornadoes, damaging winds, and isolated hail are possible today from eastern portions of the southern Plains into the lower Mississippi Valley and Southeast," the NWS warned. "A couple strong tornadoes will be possible," it added. The focus of the latter warning is in Texas and Oklahoma.

The local NWS service in Fort Worth issued several hail and high wind warnings of more than 60 mph for Texas cities such as Palestine, Buffalo, Dallas and Athens. "Do not delay! Take shelter immediately!" explained the NWS regarding the meaning of the tornado warning.

Authorities also recommended checking weather updates frequently, "as conditions can change rapidly." Along the same lines, they advised having several means of checking warnings and alarms.

That alert is combined, moreover, with elevated conditions for fires during Tuesday in parts of Texas: "Strong winds and low humidity will lead to elevated to critical fire weather behind the storms Tuesday afternoon."

On Monday morning, more than 390,000 homes remained without power in Texas, according to the specialty site PowerOutage.us. In Oklahoma, the figure was down to just over 24,500.

The severe weather will also affect areas of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana, where it was anticipated that the Mardi Gras celebrations could suffer postponements or cancellations.

In preparation, New Orleans authorities asked those attending the festival to avoid going outside with items such as tents, umbrellas and chairs. In addition, to stay up to date with warnings, they recommended checking the city's NOLA Ready app.

Adverse conditions will persist through Wednesday afternoon, but concentrated now in the eastern part of the country from Tampa, Florida, to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.