Severe thunderstorms rumble across Texas, delaying holiday travel

DALLAS (AP) – Some flights were delayed or canceled in Texas Thursday after a line of thunderstorms began moving across parts of the state in a system the National Weather Service predicted could bring strong winds, hail and possible tornadoes.

More than 100 flights were delayed and dozens more canceled at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Thursday. Delays and thunderstorm-related cancellations were also reported at Dallas’ Love Field and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, according to FlightAware, an airline that tracks flights worldwide.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch, meaning conditions are favorable for possible tornadoes, for several counties in southeast Texas, including the Houston area. The watch was to remain in effect until Thursday at 19.15.

The greatest weather risk was forecast for a stretch of Texas east of Dallas, between Houston and parts of southern Arkansas and western and northern Louisiana, said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center.

“It looks like the possibility of one or a few tornadoes with this risk, but the biggest risk will be with strong winds and hail,” Hurley said, adding that he expected gusts generally between 60 and 80 mph (96 to 128 km/h. ), and hail an inch (2.5 centimeters) in diameter or more.

Hurley said the storms are likely to push into southern Arkansas and western and northern Louisiana after dark, posing a potentially dangerous situation for vacationers.

“People don’t see a whole lot and maybe aren’t as weather aware,” he said.