Storms brought strong winds through Memphis, Tennessee, early on Monday morning, damaging some parts of the city.
The storms blew through Shelby County, where Memphis is located, between 6:30 and 7 a.m., The Commercial Appeal reported. At its strongest, the wind was between 50 and 55 miles per hour. Some 26,000 homes around Memphis remained without power by 11 a.m. as a result of the storm.
Although several tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued, none are currently in effect, according to WMC Action News 5. The tornado warning for the Memphis area was canceled at about 8:45 a.m. Monday, but heavy rains and strong winds persisted.
Lieutenant Karen Rudolph of the Memphis Police Department said no deaths due to the storm had been reported.
"School officials across the mid-South are keeping school starting on time, but excusing tardies," WMC Action News 5 reported. "That includes Shelby County schools, Germantown, Fayette County, Tipton County and Collierville."
The storms knocked down some trees and power lines, including one that started a fire on Highway 51 after it came down, WMC Action News 5 reported.
The tornado warnings and incoming storm winds caused some disruption at the regional airport. Memphis International Airport spokesman Glen Thomas said passengers were directed toward the airport's bathrooms as the storms moved in, according to WMC Action News 5. The airport sustained some damage from the wind, including broken glass on the mezzanine and concourse levels.
After the all clear was issued, passengers had to be rescreened, according to The Commercial Appeal. Operations have now returned to normal at the airport, and no injuries were reported.
The weather conditions in Memphis resulted from the same system that sent a tornado through Dallas late on October 20 and early the next day.
Though Dallas was more intensely affected than Tennessee, the Weather Channel reported no deaths or serious injuries from the tornado, which struck the city at about 9 p.m. Sunday, according to a release from the city of Dallas. However, three people were taken to local hospitals to receive evaluation and treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.
Scott Padgett, chief meteorologist of news station CBS 11, which serves the Dallas-Fort Worth area, estimated that winds may have reached or exceeded 111 miles per hour during the storm. Padgett based this estimation on the surveyed damage after the storm passed through Dallas.
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