Powerful storms, including at least one tornado, barreled through North Texas early Tuesday, knocking out power to thousands, shuttering schools and ripping roofs off buildings.

Many in the Dallas area awoke to the wail of severe weather alarms sounding around 5:30 a.m. The storm packed 60- to 75-mph wind gusts and dropped a half-inch to 1 inch of rain, according to the National Weather Service.

Residents in Irving — where the weather service confirmed a tornado touched down on Pioneer Drive between North MacArthur and North O’Connor boulevards — reported the wind shaking their homes. The tornado traveled less than a half-mile, with wind gusts reaching 110 miles per hour.

Forecasters said the EF1 tornado was on the ground for less than a minute.

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“I felt a tremble, and the sky turned a weird shade of green,” said Shaye Martin, 30, who lives in an apartment off North MacArthur Boulevard. “I got my two cats and took cover in the bathroom.”

By 6 a.m., more than 300,000 customers were without power, including 105,000 in Dallas County, according to Oncor’s outage map. By 1 p.m., more than 140,000 were still without power in Dallas, Collin, Denton and Tarrant counties.

Oncor warned that some repairs could be slow, with heavy winds hampering utility crews and kicking up thick plumes of dust that reduced visibility.

“There’s damage pretty much across the entire Metroplex,” said Sarah Barnes, a meteorologist with the weather service.

In Irving, snapped utility poles littered North O’Connor Road across from a Savers Cost Plus grocery store. A pile of bricks lay in front of a stripped wall and broken windows at the nearby Las Haciendas apartments.

Less than a mile away, Lorenzo de Zavala Middle School closed due to downed power lines and a nearby gas leak. Across the street, residents in the Tree Country apartments were forced to evacuate due to storm damage.

Eugenio Ruiz, 50, who lives near the school, said multiple trees fell in his yard, damaging his garage and cars parked in his driveway and on the street. His son Santiago, 15, said the whole family woke when a tree split in two and landed on their home’s garage.

“You just heard a loud thump,” Santiago Ruiz said, adding that it shook the house.

About 350 residents were displaced from the Las Haciendas and Tree Country apartments, and a temporary shelter was set up at the Georgia Farrow Recreation Center, Irving police spokesperson Anthony Alexander said. No injuries were reported.

“Right now, we have emergency crews out here on the scene, trying to assess the damage, just the overall magnitude of this situation,” Alexander said.

Ferocious winds tore the roof from Cane Rosso in Arlington, which is closed pending repairs, and Plano West Senior High School. Debris scattered across the school’s parking lot Tuesday morning, and caution tape roped off part of the building. The school remained open, but some bus routes were delayed.

“It’s just a mess,” said Janet Ostrovitz, 66, pointing out splintered trees and the high school’s mangled roof Tuesday morning.

Several schools closed due to power outages, and districts warned buses were delayed. DeSoto ISD announced it would cancel classes because more than half of students would arrive at campuses without electricity.

A trampoline became lodged in a tree due to an early morning storm on March 4, 2025, in Carrollton. (Jason Janik / Special Contributor)

Several small aircraft sustained damage at the Air Park-Dallas public airport due to an early morning storm on March 4, 2025, in Carrollton. (Jason Janik / Special Contributor)

The storm disrupted hundreds of flights. About 300 flights were delayed in and out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, with nearly 250 canceled by 9 a.m., according to flight tracker FlightAware. At Dallas Love Field, 68 flights were delayed and 63 canceled.

Storms snarled traffic in some areas. An 18-wheeler overturned Tuesday morning in the northbound lanes of Interstate 35E, according to Texas Department of Transportation traffic cameras. The overturned vehicle blocked all lanes of traffic, causing delays.

Related:Threat of tornadoes, severe thunderstorms pass for North Texas; wind advisory remains

In far North Dallas, multiple buildings in an apartment complex on Marsh Lane sustained damage, including collapsed chimneys and blown-off roofs. Tuesday morning, small tree branches and leaves littered the complex’s parking lot, and the swimming pool was full of furniture.

Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans said no injuries were reported and evacuation was not necessary.

Gilberto Navas, 35, said the storm tore part of the roof off his apartment, knocked over the chimney and damaged drywall inside the building, leaving crumbs of drywall scattered on the floor just inside the front door. Navas said he is planning to look for temporary housing until the drywall is cleaned.

“The wind was very strong,” Navas said. “We felt when the chimney fell off.”