El Paso was hit by lightning and heavy rain overnight, sparking a tree fire, knocking down electrical poles and forcing some area schools to cut homecoming festivities short.
Video of the storm damage was
shared by El Paso Fit Fam on Sept. 9, showing the impact of thunderstorms that moved across the region. The National Weather Service had forecasted scattered thunderstorms across much of El Paso, with lightning, wind gusts of up to 40 mph and brief heavy downpours possible.
El Paso Fit Fam also shared that San Elizario and Horizon high schools ended homecoming festivities early after thunder and lightning moved over both campuses.
Video shared on Instagram shows spectators scrambling from the bleachers as heavy rain poured down.
The storms also caused thousands to be without power late Wednesday, but by Thursday morning, the El Paso Electric outage map showed electricity had been restored.
Additional showers and thunderstorms are possible Thursday, Sept. 10, though rain chances and storm coverage are expected to be lower than Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.
How to stay safe during thunderstorms
Here are tips on how to stay safe during thunderstorms, courtesy of the National Weather Service.
- Avoid open fields, the top of a hill or a ridge top.
- Stay away from tall, isolated trees or other tall objects. If you are in a forest, stay near a lower stand of trees.
- If you are in a group, spread out to avoid the current traveling between group members.
- If you are camping in an open area, set up camp in a valley, ravine or other low area. Remember, a tent offers NO protection from lighting.
- Stay away from water, wet items, such as ropes, and metal objects, such as fences and poles. Water and metal do not attract lightning but they are excellent conductors of electricity. The current from a lightning flash will easily travel for long distances.
Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@gannett.com, @NatassiaPaloma on X, natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma on Facebook.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso storms knock down poles, disrupt homecoming events
