Massive storm with hurricane-force winds strengthens, damaging buildings as it threatens blizzard, fires and tornadoes

By Mary Gilbert, Artemis Moshtaghian, Karina Tsui, Robert Shackelford and Zoe Sottile, CNN

(CNN) — A powerful and sprawling storm is moving across the country and spawning severe thunderstorms with hurricane-force wind gusts and tornadoes that are knocking out power and causing damage Tuesday.

Stretching from border to border, the storm in the central US is strengthening as it goes and putting tens of millions of people at risk of severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and fire weather on its warm, southern side, and blizzard conditions on its cold side in the Plains and Midwest.

Here’s the latest:

• Widespread power outages: Severe thunderstorms with intense damaging wind gusts are roaring across the South. Wind gusts in excess of 70 mph have occurred in multiple states, including Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana. Gusts up to 78 mph rocked the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex around sunrise and an 87 mph gust blew through southern Oklahoma. Nearly 400,000 homes and business were without power in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi by Tuesday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us.

• Blizzard conditions possible: Blizzard warnings were posted Tuesday in parts of five states and were active in Nebraska. “Whiteout conditions are expected and will make travel treacherous and potentially life-threatening,” the National Weather Service in North Platte, Nebraska, warned. Additional blizzard warnings will go into effect Tuesday evening from the Kansas City, Missouri, area to just south of Minneapolis.

• Extreme fire risk: A level 3 of 3 extremely critical fire weather risk is in effect Tuesday for a large portion of Texas — including Austin and San Antonio — and part of southeastern New Mexico, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Powerful winds and very dry soil in the area are primed for “very rapid wildfire spread/extreme fire behavior,” the SPC warned. A wind-driven brush fire broke out and forced evacuations in far southern San Antonio Tuesday afternoon. “Property damage has occurred,” Deputy Johnny C. Garcia of the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office told CNN, and residents were evacuated as a precaution as crews battle the blaze.

• Mardi Gras threatened: In New Orleans, officials rushed to reschedule Mardi Gras day events and shorten parade routes to avoid the potentially destructive weather. Winds were gusting to 40 mph in the city by late Tuesday morning and a high wind warning is in effect until 9 p.m. local time. The city is also under a level 3 of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms through the evening.

• Dust storm: A massive dust storm swept over swaths of New Mexico, Texas and Mexico on Monday, bringing violent winds and cloaking roadways in near-zero visibility. Officially called a haboob, the fast-moving wall of dust and debris prompted New Mexico officials to close parts of multiple interstates after the sudden wall of dust appeared to force some vehicles off the road. Dust was still blowing across the region Tuesday and could cause similar troubles, especially in Texas, as strong winds continue.

Significant damage in Texas and Oklahoma

Severe thunderstorms caused significant damage to buildings and created hazardous conditions Tuesday morning across several cities in Texas – including the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area – and Oklahoma.

Part of a Benjamin Moore paint warehouse in Lewisville, Texas, collapsed amid powerful winds just before sunrise, CNN affiliate KTVT reported. Strong winds also brought down trees and power lines around 5:30 a.m., leaving debris strewn across roadways and neighborhoods, according to the city’s office of emergency management.

Images shared by local businesses showed damaged vehicles and large amounts of debris near commercial properties, but police told CNN there have been no reports of injuries in Lewisville thus far.

In nearby Irving, Texas, police confirmed significant storm damage, including downed power lines.

An EF1 tornado tore through a community in Ada, Oklahoma, Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Images on social media showed toppled structures and widespread destruction.

A mobile home was destroyed and another was damaged, according to CNN affiliate KOCO.

The city government urged residents to stay at home given the “significant damage,” including downed power lines, fallen trees and gas leaks. CNN affiliate KFOR reported the Union Valley Fire Department was destroyed, along with the nearby Salvation Army building.

Byng Public Schools near Ada canceled classes Tuesday due to “multiple bus routes that cannot run due to damage and debris on roads” and power outages, according to an update on Facebook.

Utility crews are working around the clock to restore power outages across both states, but officials warn restoration efforts may take time due to the extent of the damage caused by the fast-moving storm system.

The storms have also disrupted air travel: More than 500 flights within, into or out of the US were canceled and more than 2,000 were delayed by the afternoon, according to Flight Aware. Around a third of all delayed flights were either to or from Dallas-area airports.

Strong winds – gusting to 56 mph – at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport also led the Federal Aviation Administration to issue a ground stop for departures there Tuesday afternoon.

Hazardous weather won’t let up soon

Strong tornadoes, powerful winds, hail and heavy rainfall are all possible in the Lower Mississippi River Valley through the evening.

These storms will last into the night as they track over the Southeast, with tornadoes still possible after dark. Nighttime tornadoes are nearly twice as likely to be deadly as those occurring during the day, a 2022 study found.

Louisiana, Mississippi and parts of Arkansas, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle will likely experience the worst severe weather Tuesday. It’s in this area that strong tornadoes – rated EF2 or higher – wind gusts over 74 mph and large hail are possible.

Other parts of the Mississippi Valley and Southeast, including Birmingham, Alabama, and Atlanta, will see a slightly less intense threat for severe storms, but tornadoes, gusty winds and hail are possible in any storm Tuesday.

The wide-reaching storm will hit the East Coast Wednesday.

More than 29 million people from Florida to Pennsylvania – including Washington, DC, and Baltimore – are under a level 2 of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms, according to the SPC. Damaging wind gusts and a few tornadoes are possible within these storms.

About 8 million people in the Carolinas and southern Virginia are under a level 3 of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms. Storms in this area could unleash damaging wind gusts in excess of 75 mph and tornadoes.

Heavy rain and strong winds will impact much of the Northeast while the storm creates blizzard conditions in parts of the Midwest.

Wind gusts of 40 mph or more could occur over much of the eastern half of the US throughout the day, even outside of any wet or wintry weather.

These winds could wreak havoc on air travel, especially with hubs in Chicago and the New York City area impacted. More than a dozen states could also face power outages.

Much of the storm’s precipitation will come to an end Thursday, but gusty winds will persist in its wake.

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CNN’s Joe Sutton, Gene Norman, Sara Smart and Jeremy Grisham contributed to this report.