EF-1 tornado in Irving, Texas damages buildings, reportedly displaces dozens of residents
A tornado touched down in Irving, Texas earlier this week, causing severe damage to some buildings in the area and displacing dozens of families.
According to the National Weather Service office in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, a "brief" EF-1 tornado occurred early Tuesday morning with peak winds estimated at 110 mph with a length of nearly half a mile. The tornado's width was estimated to be a maximum of 85 yards. Irving is located about 15 miles northwest of Dallas.
The Irving Police Department said on social media Tuesday the maximum estimated winds hit at the Tree County Apartments and Fox 4 News, a TV station based in Dallas, reports that dozens of people were displaced following the tornado due to damage sustained to the apartments. The tornado also caused road closures in the area, although most have since re-opened.
Tornado reportedly caused damage to middle school
Fox 4 News also reported De Zavala Middle School, located across the street from the Tree County Apartments, was also heavily damaged. The school, along with two others in the area, were closed on Wednesday due to power outages and re-opened for classes on Thursday, according to the Irving Independent School District.
De Zavala Middle School Principal Tiffany Williams told Fox 4 News that approximately 85 families were affected by the tornadoes.
The Irving Office of Emergency Management did not immediately respond to a Paste BN request for comment.
Tornado part of massive winter storm that spanned multiple states
The tornado that hit Irving was part of a massive winter storm that unloaded heavy winds, rain, and snow across much of the country on Tuesday.
The storm killed two people in Mississippi, knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of customers, and forced officials in New Orleans to reschedule or cancel Mardi Gras events.
Two people in Mississippi died due to the severe weather, Gov. Tate Reeves confirmed on the social media platform X. WAPT-TV reported that one person was killed when a power line fell in Madison County and that another person in the same county died after a tree fell on his car.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch Tuesday extended until 9 p.m. CT for parts of Mississippi and Louisiana, including New Orleans, where tens of thousands gathered outdoors for the yearly Mardi Gras celebration. Police had already announced shortened parade routes ahead of the harsh weather.
This story has been updated to add new information.
Contributing: Christopher Cann, Jorge L. Ortiz, Dinah Voyles Pulver and Thao Nguyen, Paste BN
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at Paste BN. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.