UPDATE: AEP Southwestern Electric Power Co. utility crews are still working to restore power to more than 1,100 customers in four East Texas counties.
The latest Swepco numbers show 579 customers in Gregg County, 297 customers in Smith County, 163 customers in Harrison County and 106 customers in Rusk County without power as of 9 p.m. Friday.
UPDATE: Crews are still working to get power restored to the hundreds of East Texas left in the dark. Upshur County is reporter 302 outages. Gregg County has the most with 1,788 and Harrison County has 756.
UPDATE: We are starting to see power restored to at least some customers after a busy night of storms in much of East Texas, but the night is not over yet.
The number of reported power outages in Gregg County has decreased about 2,000 customers to a total of 11,280 customers as of 10:04 p.m., according to AEP Swepco. The utility company has also reported that 479 customers in Panola County without power.
Law enforcement across the area has reported numerous trees and power lines down across roads in western Upshur County and throughout Gregg County, with hail reported in the Judson and Omega community between Diana and Longview. In Rusk County, a large tree had fallen across FM 2012 near New London.
The East Texas Regional Airport reported wind gusts up to 48 MPH shortly before 10 p.m.
UPDATE: The latest SWEPCO power outage numbers as of 9:45 p.m. are as follows:
Gregg County: 13,134 customers without power
Harrison County: 1,820 customers
Upshur County: 1,411 customers
Smith County: 300 customers
Rusk County: 229 customers
We are also hearing scanner reports of numerous power lines across East Texas roadways. Longview police are also responding to a reported accident with injuries on Gilmer Road at Reel Road.
UPDATE: Penny-sized hail was reported in the Judson Community, and 55 mph winds were recorded at the East Texas Regional Airport tonight.
UPDATE: Among SWEPCO's 57,000-plus utility customers in Gregg County, one in seven is without power.
According to radar reports, a severe thunderstorm is over most of central and southern Gregg County and southwestern Harrison County. The weather service has added northern Rusk and northwestern Panola County until 9:45 p.m.
As of 9:12 p.m., SWEPCO is reporting more than 9,500 customers in Gregg County, 1,134 customers in Upshur County, 633 customers in Harrison County and 299 customers in Smith County without power.
UPDATE: As of 9 p.m., more than 8,440 customers in Gregg County, and 1,019 customers in Upshur County, are without power, according to AEP SWEPCO.
Longview police are responding to a downed tree across Bill Owens Parkway near the Paul Boorman hike-and-bike trail, according to scanner reports.
NWS meteorologists have extended the severe thunderstorm warning until 9:45 p.m.
"This storm has a history of producing widespread wind damage across all of Upshur County," stated a weather service alert. This is an extremely dangerous situation.
UPDATE: We are getting reports of hail in the Longview area.
AEP Swepco is now reporting more than 6,500 customers without power in Gregg County.
UPDATE: Gregg County, western Harrison County and areas of Smith County north of Texas 31 have been added to a severe thunderstorm warning in effect until 9 p.m. This area includes the cities of Gladewater, Longview, Kilgore, Lindale and Tyler.
The storm has already knocked out electricity to more than 850 customers in Upshur County and nearly 2,500 customers in Gregg County, according to AEP Southwestern Electric Power Co. Law enforcement has reported downed trees southwest of Pittsburg and power lines down in Winnsboro. Scanner reports, a power line is down in the 17200 block of County Line Road in Smith County near Gladewater.
Damaging wind gusts will precede this line of storms, which extend from Diana to West Mountain to Hawkins to Hoard.
EAST TEXAS (KYTX) - The National Weather Service in Shreveport has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for southwestern Camp, Upshur and eastern Wood counties in northeast Texas until 8:30 p.m.
At 740 p.m., meteorologists detected a severe thunderstorm capable of producing quarter-sized hail and damaging winds in excess of 60 mph. This storm was located six miles southwest of Newsome, or eight miles southeast of Winnsboro and moving southeast at about 25 mph.
Other locations in the warning include but are not limited to Rosewood and Hawkins.
This storm has a history of producing widespread wind damage across southern Franklin County earlier. Seek shelter now inside a sturdy structure and stay away from windows.
Franklin County law enforcement reported multiple trees down across Texas 37, FM 21, FM 1448 and county roads 3370, 3230 and 3250.
