Power Outage in Forney, TX

Trees down across power lines to the east of Kemp.

Extreme cold gripped the county for several days. Overnight lows were near or below 20 degrees Fahrenheit almost all week. The period of February 15-16th was the coldest with low temperatures in the single digits and slightly below zero degrees Fahrenheit. The maximum temperature on the 15th was only in the low teens. Wind chill values during the 14th-16th were between 0 to -10 degrees Fahrenheit most of the time. The cold temperatures resulted in an extreme amount of damage to pipes, infrastructure, and power. The State listed 1 fatality in Kaufman County due to the winter storm but no additional information could be obtained.

A tornado briefly formed approximately 5 miles north of the City of Kaufman, partially removing a portion of metal roofing from a single-family residence. A large section of this roofing was blown back toward the southwest, into a powerline. A nearby power pole was also partially snapped. The tornado dissipated shortly after impacting this residence.

A tornado formed in open country approximately 3.5 miles SE of Elmo. Moving northeastward, this tornado removed sheet metal from an outbuilding on ranch property. Immediately after crossing Kaufman County Road 314, the tornado intensified, snapping two power poles along CR 314 and impacting a single family residence and adjacent outbuildings. An adjacent metal barn was severely damaged, with the sheet metal roof almost completely removed and steel trusses severely bent. Several large trees on the property were snapped or sustained major trunk damage. A personal weather station on the roof of the home measured a wind gust of 100 mph during the tornado, and damage elsewhere on the property was consistent with 95-105 mph EF-1 intensity windspeeds.

Emergency management reported a mobile home destroyed by a falling tree, multiple power poles down on CR 121, and roofs removed on CR 122.

Amateur radio reported power poles down near the intersection of FM 986 and CR 245.

Strong downburst winds from a summertime thunderstorm knocked down a few power poles and caused minor roof damage to one home on County Road 4043 south of Kemp.

Significant flash flooding occurred in the southern parts of Kaufman County, especially in the city of Mabank. Numerous roads were flooded and water flowed over several bridges. Over 10 inches of rain fell in Mabank and this led to numerous homes threatened with flood water and at least four homes were inundated with water. One home had to be evacuated. Numerous vehicles suffered damage as the water rose and flooded the insides. The flooding was directly responsible for power outages throughout the area and led to a boil water notice.

A century old pecan tree that was several feet in diameter fell over, crushing part of the garage at a home on CR 2043 near Kemp. In addition, fallen trees and tree limbs along CR 2043 resulted in power outages to the surrounding area.

Power lines and mailboxes were blown down as were construction signs along South Bois d'Arc (FM 740).

Customers were without power in the Gray's Prairie and Kemp areas as lines were forced down by ice accumulations. Some limbs also fell on power lines. There were eight accidents over the weekend, including one were an 18-wheeler crashed into several power poles, closing Highway 34 for several hours. Another accident also involved a power pole.