DALLAS (AP) — Some flights were delayed or canceled in Texas on Thursday after a line of thunderstorms started moving across parts of the state in a system the National Weather Service predicted could bring high winds, hail and possible tornadoes.
More than 100 flights were delayed and dozens more canceled at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on Thursday. Delays and thunderstorm-related cancellations also were reported at Dallas' Love Field and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, according to FlightAware, an aviation company that tracks flights across the world.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning late Thursday afternoon for parts of Texas northeast of Houston, meaning weather radar indicated there was a tornado in the area. There were no immediate reports of damage.
A tornado watch remained in effect through Thursday night for several counties in southeast Texas, including the Houston area.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott activated state emergency response resources because of the increased severe weather threat.
“As Texans and out-of-state visitors begin traveling after the Christmas holiday, it's crucial that everyone regularly monitor road conditions, make an emergency plan and heed the guidance of state and local officials,” Abbott said in a statement.
The greatest weather risk was forecast for a stretch of Texas east of Dallas, between Houston and portions of southern Arkansas and western and northern Louisiana, said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center.
“There does look like the possibility of one or a few tornadoes with this risk, but the main risk will be with high winds and hail,” Hurley said, adding that he expected wind gusts generally between 60 and 80 mph (96 to 128 kph), and hail one inch (2.5 centimeters) in diameter or greater.
Hurley said the storms will likely push into southern Arkansas and western and northern Louisiana after nightfall, posing a potentially dangerous situation for holiday travelers.
“People can't see a whole lot and may not be as weather aware,” he said.
A pedistrian walks across a rain soaked street in Dallas, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
Vehicles make their way on a rain soaked highway in Dallas, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of lighting a woman on fire on a New York City subway and fanning the flames as she burned to death made his first appearance in court this week, while authorities were yet to publicly identify the victim.
Sebastian Zapeta, 33, was arraigned on murder and arson charges on Tuesday afternoon in a Brooklyn court, where he was remanded back to custody. He did not enter a plea and his lawyer did not speak to reporters assembled inside the courthouse. His next court date is scheduled for Friday.
Authorities allege that Zapeta, who federal immigration officials say is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally, calmly approached the woman aboard a stopped F train at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station in Brooklyn on Sunday morning and set her clothing ablaze.
New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Sunday described the case as “one of the most depraved crimes one person could possibly commit against another human being.”
Here's the latest:
Zapeta was taken into custody on Sunday, hours after police disseminated images of a suspect in the woman's death.
Police said three high schoolers called 911 after recognizing the person in the image, and officers found him on another subway train in the same gray hoodie, wool hat, paint-splattered pants and tan boots.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman Jeff Carter said Zapeta is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally after he had been previously deported to Guatemala in 2018. It is unclear when and where he reentered the U.S., Carter said.
Zapeta was arraigned in Brooklyn criminal court on Tuesday. He appeared before a judge in a white jumpsuit and did not speak.
Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg, during Tuesday's court hearing, alleged that Zapeta lit the woman’s clothing on fire and fanned the flames using a shirt.
Rottenberg added that under interrogation Zapeta claimed he didn’t know what happened, noting that he consumes alcohol. But he alleged that Zapeta identified himself to interrogators in images of the attack.
A Brooklyn address for Zapeta released by police matches a service center for Samaritan Daytop Village, which provides housing and substance abuse support. The organization did not respond to a request for comment.
The victim has not been publicly identified as of Thursday. Police have described her only as a woman.
On Thursday, Rev. Kevin McCall led community leaders in a prayer vigil for her at the Coney Island station.
Tisch said Sunday that the victim was “in a seated position” at the end of the train car when she was set on fire. NYPD transit chief Joseph Gulotta said police do not believe the suspect and the victim knew each other and they did not interact before or during the incident.
Police patrol the New York City subways, and there is a vast network of cameras in stations and all subway cars.
But the sheer size of the subway system — 472 stations with multiple entry points and millions of riders each day — makes policing it logistically difficult.
On Sunday, officers were at the station but were patrolling a different platform. They responded after seeing and smelling smoke coming from the fire.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul earlier this year directed members of the state's National Guard to assist with random bag checks at certain stations.
Violent incidents on the subway and in stations often put people on edge, partly because many New Yorkers take the train multiple times a day and often have their own experiences with uncomfortable interactions in the system.
Broadly, crime is down in the city transit system this year compared to the same period in 2023. Data compiled by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority shows a 6% decline in what the agency calls major felonies between January and November of this year and 2023.
At the same time, murders in the transit system are up, with nine killings this year through November compared to five in the same time frame last year.
High-profile incidents on the train often attract national attention and further unnerve passengers. Daniel Penny, a military veteran who placed an agitated subway rider in a chokehold, was acquitted of homicide this month.
“When you have these incidents, it overshadows the success and it plays on the psyche of New Yorkers,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams in a Monday interview on PIX 11, noting that many high-profile incidents in the transit system involve people with mental health issues.
Sebastian Zapeta, accused of setting a woman on fire inside a New York City subway train, appears in court, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Curtis Means via Pool)
Sebastian Zapeta, accused of setting a woman on fire inside a New York City subway train, appears in court, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Curtis Means via Pool)
Sebastian Zapeta, accused of setting a woman on fire inside a New York City subway train, appears in court, Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Curtis Means via Pool)
A suspect, identified by police as Sebastian Zapeta, is facing murder and arson charges in New York City for allegedly setting a woman on fire inside a subway train and then watching her die after she was engulfed in flames, police said Monday, Dec. 23, 2024. (WABC-TV via AP)
FILE - New York Police officers clear a train at the Coney Island Stillwell Avenue Terminal, May 5, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, file)
