Texas Storms Bring High Winds, But Little Rain

DALLAS (AP) - Storms that moved across Texas on Wednesday brought winds up to 70 mph that downed trees and power lines, taking out power to thousands of homes and businesses.

National Weather Service officials say the winds downed more trees than they usually would because of the extremely dry conditions in the drought-stricken state.

National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Dunn said trees that haven't been regularly watered are drying out and becoming weaker, making them more susceptible to high winds.

Dunn said that the storms brought "maybe a tenth of an inch" of rain to the Dallas area. Most places in North and East Texas got less than an inch of rain. National Weather Service forecaster Matt Moreland said that southeast Texas also got "very little" rain.

Oncor spokeswoman Megan Wright said that crews worked throughout the night to restore power to the around 30,000 homes and businesses in North and East Texas that lost power. About 6,200 customers remained without power early Thursday morning.

CenterPoint Energy officials told the Houston Chronicle that about 79,000 customers lost power in the Houston area, with repair times varying from later Wednesday night to early Thursday. Most of their customers who lost power were in the northern part of Houston. About 6,200 of those customers were without power on Thursday morning.

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