More than a million households and businesses were cut off from electricity in the US state of Texas after bad weather. North and east Texas in particular were exposed to heavy rain and hail accompanied by strong winds.

According to American news agencies, at least 300,000 addresses in the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth currently do not have access to electricity. Much of the power outage is affected in the east of the state. Some nursing homes and public facilities have to rely on generators.

A state of emergency has been declared in the Dallas area. Local officials expect the power outage to continue for several days.

The storm will move toward south Texas in the coming hours. Thunderstorms and heavy rain are expected in Houston. The local government warned of wind gusts of about 110 kilometers per hour.

The stormy weather in Texas comes on the heels of several severe storms and tornadoes that hit the central United States this month. Last weekend, the storm killed 15 people. The devastation was not only in Texas, but also in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kentucky.

Meteorologists attribute the severe weather to exceptionally warm and humid air over the heart of the United States. High summer temperatures have already been reached in South Texas this month.