Multiple tornadoes, large hail, and large hail in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, as a result of an early winter blast
An early winter blast met record autumn warmth Friday, leading to a robust, severe storm system in the South and creating the biggest tornado threat the US has seen in more than five months.
At least one person was reported dead and there are “multiple missing” in McCurtain County in southeastern Oklahoma, which saw significant storm damage after a possible tornado hit the town of Idabel, according to county emergency manager Cody McDaniel.
According to the National Weather Service, there were nine twisters in Texas, four in Arkansas, and one in Oklahoma.
The number of tornadoes recorded will probably increase Saturday, as the intensity of each one can’t be determined until local National Weather Service offices conduct damage surveys.
In Lamar County, where Paris is the county seat, there has been quite a bit of damage and some injuries.
Lewis Collins, a volunteer at the Choctaw Office of Emergency Management, tells CNN that a woman was injured when a tree fell on her as she headed to a storm shelter in Oklahoma. It’s unclear whether a tornado went through the area, he said.
A severe thunderstorm watch remains in effect for parts of eastern Arkansas, northwestern Mississippi and western Tennessee through 4 a.m. local time Saturday.
Multiple tornado warnings were in effect in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri Friday night, meaning tornadoes were reported to be on the ground or indicated by weather radar. The weather service suggests moving to a basement or interior room in warning areas.
In addition to intense tornadoes, there are also large hail, bigger than a golf ball, that can be scattered, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
“A significant damaging wind event is expected from the eastern Texas Panhandle into much of Oklahoma and southeast Kansas late this afternoon through this evening,” the Storm Predication Center wrote in their forecast discussion early Sunday morning.
Tuesday also brings a risk of flash flooding due to excessive rainfall “from far east Texas into the lower Mississippi Valley,” warns the Weather Prediction Center. There is a chance of up to 4 inches of rain.
The recent lack of rain has impacted shipping and the supply chain by causing the Mississippi River to reach a record low level.
“You can see that while the spring months are our busiest time climatologically, there is a secondary increase in tornado activity in November,” the National Weather Service in New Orleans said.
The time of day when a tornado occurs has a big effect on the mortality rate. Nocturnal tornadoes are more dangerous because many people are asleep and unaware they need to be seeking a safe location. There is still a chance for rotating storms during the evening hours and a greater tornado threat during the daytime hours.
The weather service in New Orleans said that a reliable means to receive severe weather warnings was an important feature of a severe weather safety plan.
Multiple Homes and Buildings in Lamar County, TX during a 28-MeV High-Energy Tornado in Wrightsville
At least 50 homes were damaged or destroyed in Lamar County, Texas, and at least ten people were injured, two of which were critical. No deaths were immediately reported.
Plus, more than 100,000 homes and businesses were without power across Arkansas, Louisiana, southeastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas as of early Saturday, according to Poweroutage.us.
A tornado was located in the city of Wrightsville in Arkansas, moving at 45 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
POWDERLY, Texas — Tornadoes tore through parts of Texas and Oklahoma on Friday, killing at least one person, injuring two dozens others and leaving dozens of homes and buildings in ruins.
The office of the sheriff said two people were critically injured. A first responders was injured during the storms and underwent surgery, Hill told CNN.
“Search & rescue teams and generators forwarded to the Idabel area,” he sad. “Storms hit in Bryan, Choctaw, and Le Flore counties, among others. Some areas have additional flash flooding.
The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security is urging residents to report storm damage online to help coordinate their response.
The Powderly tornado: the hardest hit area in Lamar County, Texas, last seen by county attorney general Aaron Bell, M. C. Hewitt and J. D. Johnson
Steven Carter told the Texarkana Gazette that there was destruction on the south and east sides of Idabel.
Judge Brandon Bell, the county’s highest elected official, declared a disaster in the area, a step in getting federal assistance and funding. Two dozen people were injured in the county, according to Bell.
POWDERLY is located west of Idabel and northeast of Dallas and is one of the hardest hit communities. Both Powderly and Idabel are near the Texas-Oklahoma border.
The tornado touched down in Lamar County and traveled north-to-south through several communities.
The chief of the POWDERLY Volunteer Fire Department, Randi Johnson, was aware of injuries and had not been informed that anyone had been killed.
A giant winter storm cutting through the US is bringing severe weather, with dangerous blizzard conditions in the Great Plains, icy weather in the upper Midwest and severe storms along the Gulf Coast Tuesday.
The coast-to-coast storm, which battered the West over the weekend, is expected to strengthen as it makes its way eastward, and stall across the central plains into Thursday, snarling travel amid blowing snow and freezing rain.
Snowfall totals of 6 to 12 inches are forecast for much of the Northeast, while light freezing rain is possible across northern portions of the mid-Atlantic.
The storm, which first hit the Western US with much-needed snow and rain, resulted in winter storm alerts stretching from the Canadian border to the Mexican border.
North Dakota Winter Weather Warnings, a Diecho, and a High-Redshift Blizzard, issued on December 14, 2022
The National Weather Service office in Rapid City, South Dakota, said travel through the area will be nearly impossible Tuesday and Wednesday, and possibly into Thursday.
The South Dakota Department of Transport warned Monday that interstates in the state could be difficult to pass in the event of a big storm.
The National Weather Service in Minnesota has issued winter weather warnings, including ice storm warnings and a winter weather advisory. The Minnesota Department of Transportation said in a tweet Monday, “Challenging winter weather could impact travel statewide all week.”
The University of Alaska and the Alaska Pacific University are closed on Monday because of the unprecedented amount of snow.
This area has seen some relief to the dry conditions in the past week. Tennessee went from being 98% under drought this week to being at 42%.
The storm system that brought blizzard warnings to Southern California on Friday and Saturday will produce a significant damaging wind event across the central US on Sunday.
If a swath of damaging winds extends more than 240 miles and includes wind gusts of 58 mph or greater along most of its length, then the event may be classified as a derecho, according to the National Weather Service.
This is the first Level 4 out of 5 risk issued so far this year, the last Level 4 risk was issued on December 14, 2022, when a tornado touched down in New Orleans.
The Central Plains, Ohio River Valley, and Mid-Atlantic Regions are prone to Extreme Winds and Squall Lines
This will then quickly transition into a damaging wind event this evening and into the overnight hours as the storms form into a squall line, which is a continuous and narrow band of thunderstorms that form ahead of a cold front.
The weather service in Norman says that some models suggest strong winds may be moving through the area in three hours.
Wind alerts are currently in place for over 65 million people from Arizona to Ohio, including Albuquerque, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Memphis, Atlanta, St. Louis, and Cincinnati.
Wind gusts of between 60 and 75 mph are possible in the Southwest and western Texas. Waves of 40 to 55 mph are predicted in the central Plains and Ohio River Valley.
By Monday morning, the threat of severe storms will shift to the north and east over the Ohio River Valley, where a Level 2 out of 5 risk has been issued. Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Louisville are included.
As this same system continues its trek eastward, it will bring the threat of heavy rain, snow, and ice to the Northeast and mid-Atlantic on Monday night which could lead to travel disruptions.