A brief but strong thunderstorm rolled through Nacogdoches Tuesday afternoon, causing scattered power outages and minor damage.
After issuing a severe thunderstorm warning, the National Weather Service also released a hazardous weather outlook that predicted strong winds and possible hail up to 1 inch in diameter. The storms caused minor damage throughout the county, though no roads were closed and no injuries were reported.
Christy Wooten/The Daily Sentinel |
A well fire, across State Highway 21 west from County Road 759, is extinguished by Douglass volunteer and Nacogdoches firefighters Tuesday after a tank, which is believed to have been struck by lightning, exploded during a severe but quick thunderstorm that passed through Nacogdoches County.
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Lightning from the storm destroyed an oil storage tank and damaged another. Both wells are owned by Samson Lone Star. The Nacogdoches Fire Department and Douglass Volunteer Fire Department worked to put out the fire, which was off Hwy. 21 in Douglass. The explosion did not cause any injuries or further damage, according to NFD Captain Larry Hamby.
The Nacogdoches Police Department followed the impact of the brief thunderstorm, though officers did not make any temporary road closures, according to public information officer Greg Sowell.
"We closely monitor all the creeks and areas that have low tolerance for rainfall," Sowell said. "We would close roads for safety concerns if the public reports something that's a danger."
Aside from a few minor traffic accidents caused by the rain, the storm did not cause any major damage or injuries in the city, Sowell said.
The heavy rains and powerful winds temporarily knocked out power for about 300 Oncor Electric customers in Nacogdoches, primarily in Douglass, according to manager David Collier, who said he expected the power would be restored quickly. Similarly, Larry Warren of Deep East Texas Electric Cooperative reported only a few outages scattered throughout the county.
The National Weather Service projected a 50-percent chance for rain Wednesday morning and afternoon. The weather center also predicted little or no chance for rain later in the week and into the weekend.
