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PhOtOs-Tornedos Kill 9-Arkansas & Oklahoma Battered
People in the central United States suffered through more severe weather Thursday -- in the form of torrential rain, golf-ball-size hail and damaging winds, including a few reported tornadoes -- and braced for even more storms.
Tornado warnings were issued at one point or another Thursday afternoon for portions of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Wisconsin and Oklahoma. Just 10 days ago, Oklahoma was in the cross hairs of a powerful tornado that left 24 dead. Such warnings go out when witnesses or radar indicate a tornado. The National Weather Service, in fact, noted there were reports of tornadoes in at least seven communities in western Arkansas -- as far west as Polk, as far south as Garland County, and as far north as Oden. At least nine people statewide suffered injuries -- four minor ones in Oden, three in Clark County and two hurt by a lightning strike in Benton County -- state emergency management spokesman Tommy Jackson told CNN. No details were immediately available on the conditions of any of those injured. Two homes were destroyed in the small community of Oden, about 50 miles west of Hot Springs, according to Jackson. The weather service noted, too, that power lines were knocked down and Highway 88 was blocked at one point. Three houses were reportedly damaged and three people were injured, around the small Clark County town of Amity, according to the same agency. There was also reported tornadoes in north-central Oklahoma -- including in and around Perkins and Ripley, which is about 10 miles east. Shortly after 3 p.m. (4 p.m. ET), the National Weather Service tweeted that a tornado "may be developing ... south of Perkins," which is about 50 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. Minutes later, a new message stated there had been a "brief tornado" reported that had "dissipated." Later Thursday night, a tornado was reported in Broken Arrow, which is about 15 miles southeast of Tulsa. There are personnel on the scene, but officials have no confirmed reports of damage from the incident, Tulsa County emergency management official Kaitlyn Cross said. The threat, and impact, of severe weather extended well beyond Arkansas and Oklahoma. Tornado watches -- which means conditions are favorable for tornadoes to form, though one hasn't necessarily touched down -- at one time extended through an eight-state stretch extending from Texas north to Michigan. The weather service, for example, noted there was a reported tornado Thursday evening in Prophetstown, Illinois, though it's not know if it caused any damage. With or without confirmed funnel clouds, these storms packed a wallop. The weather service's Tulsa office, for instance, noted one line of thunderstorms could also pack 70-mph wind gusts. Oklahoma weather experts also noted reports of half-dollar-size hail. Flooding was the problem in places like Coffeyville, Kansas, where police rescued people from 16 vehicles in a 1½-hour stretch on Thursday afternoon after they got trapped due to intense flooding, fire department Capt. Wayne Joplin said. Water in the streets went up to cars' headlights, if not higher, after "torrential rain" fell on ground already saturated by storms the previous night. "The gutters and our storm system couldn't handle it," the captain said. "I've lived here since 1979, and I've never seen that much rain that quick," Joplin told CNN. Even once night sets in Thursday, that doesn't mean everyone can breathe easy. The weather service's Storm Prediction Center is forecasting a moderate chance of severe weather in parts of Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arkansas and Missouri on Friday. The forecast is less dire Saturday, but on Sunday parts of the Northeast could be in danger. The Storm Prediction Center says there is a 30% or higher probability for severe thunderstorms Sunday in parts of seven states, including the cities of Scranton, Pennsylvania; Springfield, Massachusetts; and of the New York cities of Syracuse, Albany and Elmira. |
re: Arkansas & Oklahoma Battered-5 Dead in New Tornedo
Five Die in New Oklahoma Tornado
Mother and baby among those killed as second deadly storm hits US region in less than two weeks. Al Jazeera: 01 Jun 2013 http://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/Ima...4719734_20.jpg Large clouds filled the sky as the tornado passes south of El Reno in Oklahoma [Reuters] A woman and her baby are among five people reported killed in the second deadly storm system to hit a US region in less than two weeks. Oklahoma Highway Patrol said the mother and her child died in the Oklahoma City area on Friday evening local time, as thunderstorms and tornadoes passed through. The state's medical examiners office were quoted by the AP news agency as saying five people had been killed in the latest storms. At least 40 to 50 people were being treated for injuries suffered in the storms, including five patients in critical condition, according to hospital services. Tornadoes hit Oklahoma City on Friday evening, smashing vehicles along a major highway during rush hour. The highway patrol said a few motorists were missing. Highway Patrol Trooper Betsy Randolph said troopers found the bodies of the woman and baby near a vehicle along Interstate 40 west of the city. Flights Cancelled High winds were forecast for Moore, the suburb where a top-of-the-scale tornado killed 24 on May 20. Storm chasers were transmitting video showing a number of funnels dropping from the supercell thunderstorm as it passed into Oklahoma City. Passengers at Will Rogers World Airport were directed into underground tunnels, and inbound and outbound flights were cancelled. Television cameras showed debris falling from the sky. Forecasters warned of a "particularly dangerous situation." The region is in part of the Midwest US known as Tornado Alley. Floodwaters up to 4 feet deep hampered rescue attempts. Lara O'Leary, a spokeswoman for the local ambulance agency, said the damage was "very, very widespread". But meteorologists said the fury of Friday's storm didn't match that of the one that struck Moore. ``Not even close,'' Rick Smith, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said. |
Re: PhOtOs-Tornedos Kill 9-Arkansas & Oklahoma Battered
Surveying the Damage From Deadly Oklahoma Twister
9 killed and 100 hurt as wrecked cars litter I-40 Saturday, June 1, 2013
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Emergency officials set out Saturday to assess damage from a series of violent storms and tornadoes that killed nine people as it swept through Oklahoma City and its suburbs with tornadoes, large hail and heavy rain. More than 100 people were injured. Muddy floodwaters stood several feet deep in the countryside surrounding the metro area. Torrential downpours followed for hours after the twisters moved east, and water damage was reported at the city's airport. The storms battered a state still reeling after a monstrous storm known as an EF5 - ranking at the top of the scale measuring tornado strength - ripped through suburban Moore on May 20, killing 24 people and decimating neighborhoods. http://www.blogcdn.com/weather.aol.c...-truck-325.jpg Water surged up to the hoods of cars on many streets, snarling traffic at the worst possible time: Friday's evening commute. Even though several businesses closed early so employees could beat the storm home, highways were still clogged with motorists worried about a repeat of the chaos in Moore. Bart Kuester, 50, a truck driver from Wisconsin, said he was driving along Interstate 35 past Moore when he realized a dangerous storm was approaching. He said the interstate was flooded and jammed with people trying to outrun the storm. "Everyone was leaving. ... Just because that one that hit Moore was so fresh in their memory," he said. Though it was in the tornado warning zone, Moore was spared major damage by the storms, but still experienced heavy rain and high wind. A convention center where the town held its graduation in the days after the storm suffered minor flooding damage, officials said. The Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office said a man was missing from a vehicle near Harrah, east of Oklahoma City, and a pair of sinkholes were reported on each side of the metro area. When the storm passed between El Reno and Yukon, it barreled right down Interstate 40 for more than two miles (three kilometers), ripping billboards down to twisted metal frames. Debris was tangled in the median's crossover barriers, including huge pieces of sheet metal, tree limbs, metal pipes, a giant oil drum and a stretch of chain-link fence. Violent weather also moved through the St. Louis area. Early aerial images of the storm's damage showed groups of homes with porches ripped away, roofs torn off and piles of splintered wood scattered across the ground for blocks. Officials in St. Charles County also reported that local schools suffered some damage. Among the nine dead in Oklahoma were a mother and a baby found in a vehicle. Amy Elliott, a spokeswoman for the state medical examiner, said Saturday the death toll was up to seven adults and two children. The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported Saturday afternoon that 104 people were hurt. Meteorologists had warned about particularly nasty weather Friday but said the storm's fury didn't match that of the tornado that struck Moore. The Friday storm, however, brought with it much more severe flooding. It dumped around 8 inches (20 centimeters) of rain on Oklahoma City in the span of a few hours and made the tornado difficult to spot for motorists trying to beat it home. Emergency officials reported that numerous injuries occurred in the area along I-40, and said the storm's victims were mostly in cars. Standing water was several feet deep, and in some places it looked more like a hurricane had passed through than a tornado. More than 86,000 utility customers were without power. Among the injured was Weather Channel meteorologist Mike Bettes, who suffered minor injuries when his "tornado hunt" SUV that he and two photographers were riding in was thrown 200 yards (180 meters). The Weather Channel said all of the people in the vehicle were able to walk away, and that it was the first time a personality at the cable television network was injured in a storm. Will Rogers World Airport was slowly reopening Saturday and some flights were resuming. But the airport reported significant damage to the roof of the terminal, and flooding damage to walls, counters and floors. In Missouri, the combination of high water and fallen power lines closed dozen of roads, snarling traffic on highways and side streets in the St. Louis area. At the Hollywood Casino in the St. Louis suburb of Maryland Heights, gamblers rushed from the floor as a storm blew through, causing minor damage to the building. The U.S. averages more than 1,200 tornadoes a year and most are relatively small. Of the 60 EF5 tornadoes to hit since 1950, Oklahoma and Alabama have been hit the most - seven times each. National Weather Service meteorologists said Saturday that it's unclear how many tornadoes touched down as part of the Friday evening storm system. Dozens of tornado warnings were issued for central Oklahoma and parts of Missouri, especially near St. Louis, they said, but crews must assess the damage before determining whether it was caused by tornadoes or severe thunderstorms. But one thing is certain: The chances for severe weather are on the decline as a cold front moves through the region, said weather service meteorologist Gene Hatch in Springfield, Missouri. This spring's tornado season got a late start, with unusually cool weather keeping funnel clouds at bay until mid-May. The season usually starts in March and then ramps up for the next couple of months. PHOTOS
http://weather.aol.com/2013/05/31/stunning-photos-from-the-2013-tornado-season/ . |
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