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This photo — facing west — shows a shelf cloud as it moves over downtown at around 3:10pm on Tuesday, May 21. (Photo by Josh Allen, eParis Extra!)
As predicted, it did storm on Tuesday afternoon and by 3pm, the National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Lamar County.
While these storms were a part of a weather system that has been considered a tornado and severe thunderstorm outbreak since Sunday, the severity lessened as they approached Northeast Texas.
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(Photo by Josh Allen, eParis Extra!)
There was reason to worry though, these storms had potential to be worse, and Paris schools, as well as many other schools in the region, sent students home early due to the threat of the severe weather with this storm system — preparing to avoid a situation like Moore, Oklahoma, where a massive tornado devastated the suburb of Oklahoma City, claiming the lives of 24 — 9 of which were children. (Click here to read about the devastation brought by the Tornado Outbreak of May 19-21 — from www.Weather.com.)
Although the storms that we saw today were a part of this exact system that dropped tornadoes in several states since Sunday, there were no tornadoes reported in the Northeast Texas region with this storm system, but it did bring a very severe storm unleashing damaging winds and dropping hail and heavy rains on Paris and Lamar County before continuing its trek eastward.
There was minor damage around Paris from this storm and lucky for us, much of the severity of this storm system had lessened. The weather pattern will now trudge east and the skies should clear after midnight, although it would be safe to stay alert.
According to meteorologists with www.Weather.com, the forecast for Lamar County tomorrow (Wednesday, May 22) is sunny all day with a high temperature of 87 degrees.
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This photo shows a tree thrown through the side of a house on FM 196, northeast of Paris, after the severe thunderstorm went through Lamar County on Tuesday, May 21. (Submitted photo)
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Paris Fire Department personnel responded to a house in Morningside that was struck by lightning during the storm on Tuesday. (Submitted photo)
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Paris firefighters also responded to a different house in Morningside that was on fire directly after the storm. The fire could have possibly been started by lightning. (Submitted photo)
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(Photo by Josh Allen, eParis Extra!)