Texas braces for heat wave after tornado

Houston, June 17

After a deadly tornado ripped through the town of Perryton in Texas killing three people, the US National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a heat wave advisory for the state to remain in effect until Sunday.

In its advisory issued on Friday, the NWS warned people in the state that temperatures could feel as hot at 43 degrees Celsisus at times, reports the BBC.

Cities across Texas have opened up cooling centres for vulnerable residents.

"Anyone ready for winter yet?" NWS forecasters posted on Twitter on Friday, adding that heat records are expected to be broken over the weekend.

As the danger of storms subsides on Saturday evening, the risk of extreme heat across the region will remain, the NWS said.

The heat comes with a week to go before the summer season officially begins on June 21.

The tornado hit Perryton, which has a population of around 8,500, at around 5.10 p.m. on Thursday evening. It even injured more than 75 people and caused extensive damage to homes and businesses.

The fire department and EMS were also hit and a trailer park sustained heavy damage.

Temperatures have been climbing since Thursday, when a major storm system swept the southern US.

About 174,000 customers were without electricity in Texas as of Friday evening, according to the Poweroutage.us website.

Some 152,000 more were in the dark in Louisiana, 107,000 in Mississippi and 25,000 in Florida.

Officials warn that the brutal heat will strain power grids as residents run their air conditioners.