Dallas Tornado leaving widespread damage and power outages

Dallas Tornado leaving widespread damage and power outages The National Weather Service said the radar-confirmed the tornado hit the ground around 9 p.m. local time near Dallas Love Field Airport, northwest of downtown.

There were no reports of fatalities or serious injuries in Texas as of 12:20 a.m. Monday, according to a release from the city of Dallas, but as the system pushed up through Arkansas one person was killed when a tree fell on their home in the far northwest of the state, near the Missouri line. The Arkansas Emergency Management office confirmed the first fatality , in Benton County, almost 300 miles northeast of Dallas, early Monday morning.

Local media outlets reported several homes and businesses were damaged, power lines downed and tree limbs were scattered across roadways. The city said there were reports of gas leaks north of Walnut Hill. Most of the damage within Dallas was limited to the northwest, with Evans defining the area as bordered by Royal Lane to the north and Northwest Highway to the south, as well as Harry Hines Boulevard to the west and Interstate 75 to the east.

The Dallas Independent School District canceled Monday classes at six schools, citing "extensive damage" to a number of campuses due to the severe weather.

Nearly 112,000 electric customers were without power as of 12:50 a.m., according to Oncor's online outage map. Around 60,000 of those customers were within Dallas, according to the city, which is opening a shelter by 2 a.m.

"Currently there is not an estimated time of restoration, however we are working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible," Oncor said in a statement on its website.

In the city of Sachse, a northeast suburb of Dallas, six houses sustained "significant high-wind damage after severe weather moved through the area Sunday night," and four of those homes were left "uninhabitable," though no injuries had been reported, according to a press release from the city.

Seven people escaped a structure that collapsed in northwest Dallas, but Dallas Fire-Rescue were searching to see if anyone was left inside, Evans said. WFAA-TV reported that a convenience store collapsed in the storm, but the clerk told the station that everyone who was inside made it out safely.

Dallas police said officers in one part of the city were going door-to-door to check on residents.