Power outages and hundreds of flights cancelled

Hurricanes and a powerful storm hit the United States

Snow covers a car as a result of snowstorms in Mount Baldi, California. EPA.

Oppressive tornadoes hit Texas and Louisiana, as a powerful storm system that had thrown heavy snow into California swept through the southern plains through the deep south on Monday, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of residents and canceling hundreds of flights to and from the Dallas area.

Winds of more than 112 km/h were reported in Texas, where a tornado warning was issued in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. National Weather Service teams planned to scan areas for possible damage in the storm's path, which stretched from southeastern Oklahoma to neighboring Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana.

The weather service wrote on Twitter, "If your phone is alerted and you hear sirens, it means that the wind speed is as strong as a weak hurricane, so treat it as such! Go in and stay away from the windows!" The Dallas suburb of Richardson asked residents to stop using water after the storm knocked out power to pumping stations.

Richardson officials said in a statement: "Water is currently in the city's water storage facilities, but will run out if all customers do not immediately stop using the water, except for emergency needs."

In northern Dallas, winds toppled trees, toppled the roof of a grocery store, and overturned four trailers on U.S. Highway 75. Police said only minor injuries were reported.

In Louisiana, a tornado struck near Louisiana State University in Shreveport. In Texas, more than 310,400 utility customers were without power as of Thursday night, according to PowerOutage.us. FlightAware.com reported that Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field Airport recorded more than <> flight cancellations to and from the two airports. Several school districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area have canceled after-school activities and events, due to the weather forecast. Forecasters said the storm system would continue its eastward march, bringing the threat of severe weather to the Ohio valleys and the Tennessee River. It is likely to bring snow across the Eastern Great Lakes and the New England region.