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Severe storm that swept through North Texas had at least 5 tornadoes, NWS says

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Severe weather ripped through North Texas Tuesday morning, damaging businesses and homes and downing power lines, but most residents seemed to be counting their blessings in the immediate aftermath.

At least five tornadoes formed in the region, the National Weather Service confirmed in a preliminary report, adding that the total could rise to as many as 12 as assessments continue. Many of the storm surveys will be completed Wednesday.

The tornadoes confirmed in the initial report included one with a long track through Wise County, another west of Paris and at least three in Tarrant County. The Wise County twister was an EF-2, the NWS said, while those in Tarrant County were an EF-1 and two EF-0s that lifted and reformed with a discontinuous track.

The storm, which also produced heavy rain and pingpong-ball-size hail, caused at least seven reported injuries, but no deaths.

Outdoor sirens wailed as the National Weather Service issued several tornado watches and warnings throughout the morning. Commutes were disrupted, and at one point travelers at DFW International Airport had to shelter in place.

The NWS said radar detected a tornado between River Oaks and Sansom Park about 8:10 a.m. The system carved a two-mile path through North Richland Hills, where about 20 damaged homes and businesses were reported — but no injuries.

In Grapevine, five people sustained non-life-threatening injuries and businesses and vehicles were damaged — including a tractor-trailer that had been crumpled, a car wash that partially collapsed and the office of a roofing contractor that was missing part of its roof.

All Grapevine-Colleyville ISD schools had to shelter in place after some lost power. Grapevine Middle School students were evacuated after a natural-gas odor was detected near the school, which also sustained roof damage and a water leak, the district said.

DFW and Love Field airports experience major travel disruption following tornado warnings

Damage also prompted the closure of several Grapevine businesses, including a Sam’s Club, Walmart and the Grapevine Mills mall. DFW Airport and Dallas Love Field both experienced major travel disruptions throughout Tuesday morning.

Oncor reported up to 8,000 customers in Grapevine were without power at one point, but that number had dropped to about 3,700 late Tuesday afternoon, according to police.

Two injuries were reported in Wise County, according to the county’s emergency management office, both involving people traveling in their vehicles. One person was struck by flying debris and the other was injured when their vehicle overturned due to the high wind. One was taken to a hospital while the other was treated at the scene.

As the sun began shining across North Texas late Tuesday morning, public-safety and emergency-response authorities were already assessing damage. The National Weather Service will combine the data and its own surveys to create a cumulative report.

Storm damage is seen at Mustang Elite Car Wash & Lube Center on Ira E. Woods Avenue in Grapevine.(David Guzman / Staff Photographer)

‘Took the breath out of you’

Surveying the damage to his 2-year-old home near Northwest Highway and Lucas Drive in Grapevine, Randy Popiel was in good spirits Tuesday afternoon.

”I have to say, now that the storm is over and I know we’re going to be OK, it was pretty awesome,” Popiel said as he watched crews work to patch up his roof, where a large piece of metal had staked through the paneling and into his attic.

While his wife and dogs took cover in a closet, Popiel said he watched as debris scattered through his neighborhood from a back window.

“You could feel the pressure drop and it literally took the breath out of you, but I figured I should at least see what’s going to kill me,” he said.

As Popiel moved toward his backyard, he walked around a stretch of wooden fence lying flat in his driveway. Rounding the corner, he was met with multiple uprooted trees, overturned patio chairs and his greenhouse standing at an upright angle against another shed.

“It’s really mostly cleanup for us, and we’re very fortunate for that,” Popiel said. “It could have been total devastation.”

Homeowner Randy Popiel (right) watches as Banner Roofing employees work to patch his roof after a possible tornado damaged his home in Grapevine, Texas, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022.(Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer)

‘This is fixable’

A couple of blocks away, past downed power lines and signs, Trinity Thompson, an employee at Waffle Way, a family-owned restaurant, shared similar relief.

“It was terrifying, and it all happened so fast, but I’m happy to see this is fixable,” she said.

Thompson said she was taking coffee to a customer when she heard someone screaming for everyone to get down. She ran toward the restaurant’s back room, where she heard what sounded like loud gusts of wind, followed by glass hitting the floor.

“It was over in 30 seconds, and thank goodness, because we didn’t get adequate warning for this kind of weather, let alone anything worse,” she said.

The power was still out at the restaurant Tuesday afternoon, and a severed hose in the building had caused a gas leak.

Thompson said it was difficult to see the restaurant in such a state, especially knowing they just finished renovations, including installing a new awning, last month.

“Now that awning is somewhere down the street,” she said. “But things are just things. They can be replaced.”

Severe thunderstorms, possible tornadoes damage areas of North Texas, social media shows



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Major storm to bring feet of snow, heavy rain and possible tornadoes

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CNN
 — 

An atmospheric river event, bringing ample amounts of moisture to the West this weekend, will gradually move across the country and bring hazardous weather to millions.

The blockbuster storm will begin in the West with heavy snow, gusty winds, and coastal flooding, then move eastward, threatening potential blizzard conditions in the Midwest and tornadoes in the South.

“Extreme snowfall is likely across the Sierra and northern California ranges,” on Saturday the Weather Prediction Center said. Adding that, “prolific snowfall rates of 3 inches per hour are expected in the Sierra Nevada accumulating to more than 5 feet through Sunday in some areas.”

More than a dozen western states are under winter weather alerts this weekend as the potent storm system moves across the region.

Snow will be measured in feet across the Sierras, Rockies, and Cascades. Heavy rain will also be notable up and down the West Coast, particularly in California, where flooding concerns exist through Sunday.

An atmospheric river is a plume of moisture which streams in off the Pacific Ocean. Similar to a fire hose, it shoots moisture into one area for an extended period of time, resulting in very heavy rain or snow.

Most coastal communities will pick up 1 to 3 inches of rain through the weekend, and some areas of northern and central California could receive 3 to 5 inches of rain in total. Coastal erosion and flooded roadways will be the main concerns.

“Additional heavy rains may result in isolated runoff issues, especially across recent burn scars,” the Weather Prediction Center said.

Hurricane-force wind gusts of 80 to 100 mph are also possible across the mountain ranges Saturday which will cause blowing snow leading to near zero visibility and difficult to impossible travel conditions.

“Gusty winds and heavy snow could bring down tree branches,” the National Weather Service office in Sacramento, California, said, which could lead to “near whiteout conditions at times.”

And the western US will not be the only area affected by the storm.

“As the system moves into the Plains early next week, a springlike storm system develops,” Chad Myers, CNN Meteorologist said. “Significant severe weather will occur in the warm air across the South and a major snow and ice event will happen in the western Great Lakes and northern Plains.”

For the northern Plains and Midwest, the threat for blizzard conditions is increasing, as significant snow, strong winds, ice and freezing rain will all be possible early next week from Colorado through Wisconsin.

CNN Weather

“A winter storm is expected to impact the Northern Plains Monday night through Thursday,” the National Weather Service office in Bismarck, North Dakota said. “Difficult travel conditions are expected Monday night through Wednesday night from heavy snow, reduced visibility, and drifting snow.”

Heavy snow and strong winds will be the main concerns, but freezing rain and ice are also possible.

If winds are at least 35 mph and visibility is less than one quarter of a mile for at least three hours, it could result in a full-blown blizzard across the region.

Widespread snow accumulations across the northern Plains and Midwest will be 4 to 8 inches, and some locations could pick up in excess of one foot through Friday of next week.

“While some uncertainty persists, confidence is increasing that strong winds and significant snows will produce hazardous impacts across much of the Central/Northern Plains and into the Upper Midwest,” the prediction center said.

Slick roadways and near-whiteout conditions will make travel very difficult if not impossible at times for some of these areas. Power outages will also be possible due to very strong winds.

The threat for severe storms is also increasing across the southern Plains and Gulf Coast region including tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds.

“While tornadoes in December are relatively uncommon when compared to the springtime, they are often more likely across portions of the Southeast and Lower Mississippi Valley, where there is often a secondary peak in the fall and winter,” Matthew Elliott, a meteorologist at the Storm Prediction Center, told CNN.

CNN Weather

The severe storm potential begins Monday night across Oklahoma and northern Texas, gradually spreading into Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi on Tuesday.

Severe storms will likely continue Tuesday overnight across the Gulf Coast region. Nocturnal tornadoes are more dangerous because many people are asleep and unaware they need to be seeking a safe location.

While the greater tornado threat exists during the day, there is still the possibility for a few rotating storms through the evening hours.

By Wednesday, the greatest threat exists for an area from New Orleans to Panama City, Florida.

“The details regarding the areas most at risk from tornadoes will become clearer as the event approaches and smaller-scale trends become more evident,” Elliott said.

Because the forecast can change it is important to pay attention to developments in the coming days.

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At least 2 killed in Alabama as severe storms and tornadoes sweep across the South

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Editor’s Note: Affected by the storms? Use CNN’s lite site for low bandwidth.



CNN
 — 

Severe storms and tornadoes swept through parts of the South from Tuesday into Wednesday morning, killing at least two people in Alabama and damaging homes, other buildings and downing trees in several states, officials said.

Two people were killed and at least one other was injured when a tornado hit Wednesday morning in the Flatwood area near Alabama’s capital, Montgomery County Emergency Management Director Christina Thornton told CNN.

“Thanks to the heroic efforts of our first responders many other lives were saved. We pray for our community as we mourn this tragic loss of lives,” Thornton said.

At least 30 tornado reports have been made since Tuesday afternoon, mostly in central and southern Mississippi and Alabama, as well as in Louisiana, the Storm Prediction Center said. Winds also knocked down trees in Tennessee and Georgia.

Storm damage includes:

• Alabama: The tornado that killed two in the Flatwood area near Montgomery had winds estimated at 110 mph, the National Weather Service said. Tornadoes also are believed to have caused damage in the western and southwestern parts of the state, according to the service.

An apartment complex was torn apart late Tuesday near Eutaw Greene County, with a roof torn off and fallen walls exposing residents’ rooms, video from CNN affiliate WBMA showed.

A tornado with roughly 110 mph winds damaged the complex, the weather service said. The damage left some displaced residents taking shelter at a middle school, WBMA reported.

In nearby Hale County, many trees and some homes were damaged in the small town of Akron. One fallen tree rested on a home’s roof, images from WBMA and CNN affiliate WVTM showed. No injuries were immediately reported in Akron, county emergency management Director Russell Weeden said.

In Sumiton just outside Birmingham, a commercial building’s roof was blown off and struck a house, city officials there said.

Track storms as they develop >>

• Mississippi: In Lowndes County east of Starkville, a tree fell through Mary Perkins’ trailer home, virtually slicing it in half.

The storm, which might have included a tornado, sounded “like a train coming through,” Perkins told CNN on Wednesday. No one was injured.

“I hope I can afford a trailer to get back in. … As old as I am, I don’t think about building a house. I hope for a trailer,” Perkins, a resident of the county for 34 years, said.

Volunteer firefighters helped some people who found themselves trapped in damaged buildings, Lowndes County Fire Coordinator Neil Austin said.

“We were successful in getting (to) some people that had to hunker down in their homes that were messed up,” Austin told CNN on Wednesday.

In the same county, a church’s steeple was blown off and a grocery store was damaged in the community of Steens on Tuesday evening, Cindy Lawrence, the county’s head of emergency management, told CNN. No deaths or injuries were reported in the county, Austin said.

Mississippi State University in Starkville briefly asked students to seek shelter during a tornado warning Tuesday night. Earlier in the day, classes at two of the school’s campuses were taught remotely and some dining halls were closed due to the threat. Regular operations were expected to resume Wednesday, the university said.

• Louisiana: Several homes were damaged in northern Louisiana’s Caldwell Parish, where the National Weather Service reports a tornado is believed to have struck Tuesday night, CNN affiliate KNOE reported. At least one home collapsed, with bricks, boxes, a mattress and other debris strewn around the area, KNOE video showed.

More than 41,000 power outages were reported in the Southeast late Wednesday morning, including 25,000 in Alabama, 12,000 in Tennessee and 4,000 in Mississippi, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us.

Some parts of the South, including between Huntsville and Birmingham in Alabama, saw between 2 and 4 inches of rain Tuesday.

On Tuesday, the storm prediction center issued a rare “particularly dangerous situation” tornado watch, which is typically designated for the most significant severe-storm threats. That watch was in effect for central Mississippi, northeast Louisiana and southwest Arkansas through early Wednesday and has since expired.



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Storms cause major tornadoes, flooding around the South

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JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Residents in several towns across Louisiana and Mississippi took cover as tornado sirens blared late Tuesday, and forecasters warned of the threat of strong twisters capable of tracking long distances on the ground as a severe weather outbreak erupted in the Deep South.

There were no immediate reports of severe damage or injuries as multiple tornado warnings were issued starting Tuesday afternoon and continuing into the nighttime hours as heavy thunderstorms rolled from eastern Texas to Georgia and as far north as Indiana. The National Weather Service confirmed that tornados hit the ground in Mississippi on Tuesday evening and Alabama was in the forecast path of the storms during the overnight hours.

More than 25 million people were at risk as the vast storm system. The national Storm Prediction Center said in its storm outlook that affected cities could include New Orleans; Memphis and Nashville in Tennessee; and Birmingham, Alabama.

The NWS received reports of people trapped at a grocery store in Caledonia, Mississippi, just after 6 p.m. Lowndes County Emergency Management Agency Director Cindy Lawrence told WTVA-TV the people inside the grocery store made it out safely. Lawrence also said a family trapped in a house about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the store escaped.

Additional reports of property damage near Columbus were received by the NWS, according to Lance Perrilloux, a forecaster with the agency.

Heavy rain and hail as big as tennis balls were also possible as forecasters said the weather outbreak was expected to continue into Wednesday.

In west Alabama, a suspected tornado damaged numerous homes in Hale County, according to storm damage reports to the National Weather Service. About 29,000 customers were without power early Wednesday morning.

And in the west Alabama town of Eutaw, video from WBMA-TV from showed large sections of the roof missing from an apartment complex, where residents stood outside in the middle of the night.

“We’ve got power lines, trees just all over the road,” Eutaw Police Chief Tommy Johnson told WBRC-TV. “In the morning when we get a little daylight, we’re going to do a door-by-door search to make sure no one is trapped inside or anything like that.”

So far, though, there were no reports of injuries. “We haven’t got any reports of anyone hurt or anything,” he said.

Craig Ceecee, a meteorologist at Mississippi State University, peered out at “incredibly black” skies through the door of a tornado shelter in Starkville. He estimated that about 100 people had already arrived as a lightning storm persisted outside.

The Oktibbeha County Emergency Management agency is operating the shelter, about three miles (5 kilometers) from the university’s campus. Ceecee said the dome-shaped multipurpose facility capable of withstanding 250 mph (400 kph) winds.

Before Tuesday’s storm, Ceecee built a database of Mississippi tornado shelters. He said there are several towns without any.

“I’ve had to go through events without (shelters), and trust me, they were scary,” Ceecee said.

In the small town of Tchula, Mississippi, hail stones crashed against the windows of City Hall, as the mayor and other residents took cover during a tornado warning. “It was hitting against the window, and you could tell that it was nice-sized balls of it,” Mayor Ann Polk said after the storm passed.

It’s rare that federal forecasters warn of major tornadoes with the potential for carving damages across long distances, as they did in Tuesday’s forecasts. Tornado watches covering much of Louisiana and Mississippi were announced due to “a particularly dangerous situation,” the NWS said.

“Supercells are expected to develop this afternoon and track northeastward across much of northeast Louisiana and central Mississippi,” the weather service said. “Parameters appear favorable for strong and long-tracked tornadoes this afternoon and early evening.”

The most intense wave of the storm was projected to move through Mississippi between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., said Sarah Sickles, an NWS forecaster in Jackson, the state capital.

“Multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms — some capable of long-tracked tornadoes with EF3+ damage potential — will be possible this afternoon into tonight over parts of the lower Mississippi Valley region and Mid-South,” the Norman, Oklahoma-based Storm Prediction Center said.

Tornadoes with an EF3 rating on the Enhanced Fujita tornado scale can produce wind gusts of up to 165 mph (266 kph).

All remaining classes at Mississippi State University’s main campus in Starkville switched to remote instruction Tuesday due to the weather. A Mississippi State women’s basketball game against the University of Louisiana-Monroe was to be played on campus, but the venue was closed to spectators. Alcorn State University and the University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg were closing early.

Some of Mississippi’s public school systems also closed early.

Flood watches were issued for parts of southeast Mississippi and southwest Alabama, where 3 to 5 inches of rain (8 to 13 centimeters) could lead to flash flooding, the National Weather Service said.

Meanwhile, heavy snow was snarling traffic in some parts of the Upper Midwest.

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport tweeted Tuesday afternoon that its runways were closed due to fast snowfall rates and reduced visibility. Air traffic websites showed some inbound planes circling or diverting to other airports such as St. Cloud, Minnesota, and Fargo, North Dakota. The National Weather Service reported nearly 4 inches (10) of snow on the ground at the airport by noon.

___

Jill Bleed in Little Rock, Arkansas; Michael Goldberg in Jackson, Mississippi; Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis contributed to this report.



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Nicole to race by D.C. region Friday, with rain and possibly tornadoes

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Unseasonably warm and humid air is on its way back to the Mid-Atlantic ahead of the remnants of Tropical Storm Nicole, which will barrel through the region Friday. While Thursday is calm, Friday will feature rain chances picking up by morning, with intermittent waves of showers throughout the day.

The main impacts in the D.C. area will include on-and-off periods of heavy rain that could lead to isolated flash flooding, and gusty winds from the south and southeast.

Given a lot of atmospheric spin associated with the remnants of Nicole, a tornado threat also may develop. The odds of twisters are somewhat higher south and southeast of Washington, toward Southern Maryland, Richmond and the Virginia Tidewater.

Tropical Storm Nicole lashing Florida, set to drench eastern U.S.

The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center has placed the D.C. area in a Level 1 out of 5 risk for tornadoes, while areas to the south are in a Level 2 out of 5 risk zone.

Additionally, the Weather Service has placed the region in a Level 1 of 4 risk for excessive rainfall. The odds of heavy rain will increase to the west and northwest of the D.C. area.

Timing: Shower chances increase during the predawn hours Friday, especially southwest of the area, and become likely by sunrise. Additional waves of rain pass during the day. Rain should end late Friday night.

Coverage: Expect on-and-off showers, coming through in waves, and perhaps some thunder. The showers will be fast-moving but may be quite heavy at times.

Hazards: The primary concerns are heavy rain, gusty winds and a risk for an isolated tornado or damaging wind gusts. The chance of flooding is fairly low because the area has been rather dry lately.

Rainfall projections: A widespread 1 to 1.5 inches is most probable. Toward the mountains, 2 to 3 inches could fall. Southern Maryland and the Delmarva Peninsula probably see closer to half an inch to an inch.

How Nicole will influence the region

On Friday morning, the center of a weakening Nicole will be over central Georgia, as shown below, with showers working northward through the Mid-Atlantic.

The storm features a very large wind circulation. High pressure retreating to the north will assist in tightening the pressure gradient across the Mid-Atlantic, thus keeping wind speeds elevated. Expect winds to gust frequently from 20 to 30-plus mph Friday and potentially higher in any thunderstorms.

As Nicole transitions from a tropical to more of a mid-latitude storm, a warm front will form (red scalloped lines above) that may be a focus for any tornadic activity. Meanwhile, a strong cold front and deep dip to the jet stream will be approaching the East Coast from the Ohio Valley.

The center of Nicole’s remnants will join up with that front, perhaps near the spine of the Appalachians, as a plume of deep tropical moisture moves northward to the storm’s east. The strong uplift on the west side of Nicole’s remnants will interact with tropical moisture to generate a swath of potentially very heavy rain over the Appalachians, with more showery weather to the east.

By Friday evening, Nicole’s remnants will rapidly exit to the northeast, and skies may actually start to clear by midnight.

Why strong winds and tornadoes are a risk

While the fuel for the types of storms that could generate tornadoes will be limited in the D.C. area, the wind shear (change in wind direction and or speed with altitude) will be significant. That combination of ingredients may set the stage for low-topped rotating thunderstorms. Those cells, in turn, may bring gusts of damaging (50-60 mph) wind to the surface in a couple of spots, as well as generate brief tornadoes.

Inland tornadoes spawned by tropical remnants tend to be short-lived and weak, but those characteristics also make them difficult to detect with radar, thus hindering the issuance of timely warnings.

At this point, the Storm Prediction Center feels the highest tornado threat will be just to the south of D.C. However, we caution that this zone could extend farther north if the air mass remains unstable into the late afternoon and early evening hours.

Rain totals will be highly track-dependent. As of now, around an inch total in Washington seems reasonable. A shift in the forecast track farther east would bring higher totals closer to the area. The region has been quite dry recently, so the threshold rain amounts to trigger flash flooding locally are high.

Overall, the predicted track of Nicole’s remnants has shifted west, somewhat lowering potential rainfall in the immediate area.

Here are the amounts projected by different models:

  • European (ECMWF): 0.50-1 inch+
  • American (GFS): 0.75-1.5 inches
  • American (NAM): 0.50-1 inch
  • Canadian (GEM): 0.75-1.5 inches
  • ICON: 0.75-1.5 inches

Additional track shifts are possible, which would affect the rainfall forecast. But we don’t expect big changes, now that we’re within a day of the event.



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Tornadoes: At least 1 dead, multiple people missing in Oklahoma after more than a dozen tornadoes hit 3 states, officials say

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CNN
 — 

At least one person was killed and multiple people are missing after tornadoes hit Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas late Friday, damaging homes and knocking out power for thousands as officials launch search and rescue efforts.

The person who died was in McCurtain County in southeastern Oklahoma, which suffered significant storm damage after a possible tornado hit the city of Idabel, county emergency manager Cody McDaniel said.

Late Friday, authorities were trying to determine the extent of damages and injuries, McDaniel said, adding, “It’s not good.”

In Texas near the state’s border with Oklahoma, at least 50 homes were damaged or destroyed in Lamar County as of Friday evening, the sheriff’s office said.

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 recommends residents in warning areas to move to a safe like a basement or interior room.

A preliminary accounting Friday evening from the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center shows nine tornadoes formed in Texas, four in Arkansas and one in Oklahoma.

Overnight tornadoes can be particularly dangerous because they can be hard to see as they move quickly through an area, and it’s also more challenging to ensure residents are warned during those hours.

Plus, more than 90,000 homes and businesses were without power across Arkansas, Louisiana, southeastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas as of early Saturday, according to Poweroutage.us.

Most of the Texas tornadoes reported occurred along the Red River border with Oklahoma, with widespread damage reported in two counties.

The National Weather Service confirmed late Friday that a tornado moving 45 mph was detected over the city of Wrightsville in Pulaski County, Arkansas, just south of Little Rock.

The number of tornadoes recorded will likely increase Saturday, and the intensity of each one will not be known until local National Weather Service offices conduct damage surveys, which may take several days.

Tornado and severe thunderstorm watches for the region lasted until early Saturday morning.

Lamar County officials declared a disaster after at least 10 people were injured when a tornado tore through the area, according to a news release from the county’s sheriff’s office. No deaths have been reported.

Two of those injured suffered critical injuries, the sheriff’s office said. Earlier Friday, a first responder was injured during the storms in the county and underwent surgery, County Constable Steven Hill told CNN.

“There has been quite a bit of damage and some injuries,” Lamar County Constable Travis Rhodes told CNN Friday night.

In nearby Hopkins County, at least four houses were damaged Friday, according to the county’s sheriff’s office.

A woman in Choctaw County, Oklahoma, was injured by a falling tree as she was trying to get to a storm shelter, Lewis Collins, a volunteer at the Choctaw Office of Emergency Management, told CNN. It’s unclear whether a tornado had occurred in that area.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said he’s praying for those impacted by the tornadoes.

“Search & rescue teams and generators forwarded to the Idabel area,” he sad. “Storms hit in Bryan, Choctaw, and Le Flore counties, among others. Additional flash flooding in some areas.”

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security is urging residents to report storm damage online to help coordinate their response.



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At least 1 dead as tornadoes tear through Oklahoma, Arkansas and northeast Texas

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CNN
 — 

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 is dead in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, where significant storm damage was reported, according to county emergency manager Cody McDaniel.

Nine twisters formed in Texas, four in Arkansas, and one in Oklahoma, a preliminary count by the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center shows.

The total number will likely increase in the light of day Saturday, and the intensity of each one will not be known until local NWS offices conduct damage surveys, which may take several days.

In Texas, damage was confirmed west of Paris and near Sulphur Springs in the state’s northeast.

As the system moves east, a tornado watch is in effect Friday evening until midnight for parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.

CNN Weather

At least four houses were damaged in Hopkins County, Texas, by a tornado, the sheriff’s office there said. No injuries were reported.

In neighboring Lamar County, where Paris is the county seat, “there has been quite a bit of damage and some injuries,” Lamar County Constable Travis Rhodes told CNN Friday night.

In Oklahoma, a woman was injured by a falling tree as she was heading to a storm shelter, Lewis Collins, a volunteer at the Choctaw Office of Emergency Management, told CNN. It’s unclear whether a tornado went through the area, he said.

The Storm Prediction Center had highlighted a ‘moderate risk’ – a Level 4 of 5 – area of severe thunderstorms on Friday for eastern Texas, southeastern Oklahoma, southwestern Arkansas and northwestern Louisiana.

The Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area remains under an enhanced risk – a Level 3 out of 4 – for Friday.

“The most likely area for strong tornadoes [EF2 or higher] will be from far southeast Oklahoma southward into eastern Texas, to the east of the I-35 corridor,” the prediction center said.

The watch in effect until midnight includes portions of western and central Arkansas, northwest Louisiana, southeast Oklahoma, and east and northeast Texas, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

In addition to intense tornadoes, scattered large to very large hail, bigger than golf ball-sized (2 inches in diameter), are also possible, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

The main threat will shift from tornadoes Friday afternoon and evening to damaging winds going into the overnight hours as thunderstorms align and spread into Arkansas and Louisiana.

As the storms push east, a significant widespread and damaging wind event is forecast later Friday evening across portions of the Ark-La-Tex region. That is why the prediction center has upgraded the threat level for Friday.

“Storms will persist well into the night, tracking across much of Louisiana and Arkansas, and into western Mississippi, the prediction center added.

This storm system will be moving quickly from west to east, which will minimize the chance for flash flooding to occur across the Ark-La-Tex region. Farther north, rainfall of one to four inches is expected through Saturday over a broad area from Kansas to Wisconsin.

Rainfall is much needed in this region as recent drought has cause the Mississippi River to reach record low levels, impacting shipping and the supply chain.

In all, 42 million people from Texas to Wisconsin were at risk of severe storms Friday. Houston, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Little Rock, Kansas City and Wichita are included in the risk areas as well.

The last time the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area was under an enhanced risk or higher was May 24.

While tornadoes in the US can happen in any month of the year, they are most common in the spring time thanks to the clash of cold and hot air as the seasons change. The same merging of temperatures also occurs in the autumn, which is why you will often see a secondary “severe season” later in the year.

“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.

Texas sees the most tornadoes (7) in the month of November on average, followed by Alabama (6), Louisiana (5), and Mississippi (5).

The time of day when a tornado occurs makes a big difference in the fatality rate. Nocturnal tornadoes are more dangerous because many people are asleep and unaware they need to be seeking a safe location. While the greater tornado threat for this particular event exists during the daytime hours, there is still the possibility for a few rotating storms through the evening hours.

Make sure you have your severe weather safety plan ready to go before bad weather hits. Know where you will go if severe weather hits, and make sure flashlights work and cell phones are fully charged in case you lose power.

“One of the most important features of your severe weather safety plans is to have a reliable means to receive severe weather warnings,” the weather service in New Orleans said.

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Rare northern Michigan tornado kills 1, injures more than 40

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GAYLORD, Mich. (AP) — A rare northern Michigan tornado tore through a small community on Friday, killing at least one person and injuring more than 40 others as it flipped vehicles, tore roofs from buildings and downed trees and power lines.

The twister hit Gaylord, a city of about 4,200 people roughly 230 miles (370 kilometers) northwest of Detroit, at around 3:45 p.m.

Mike Klepadlo, who owns the car repair shop Alter-Start North, said he and his workers took cover in a bathroom.

“I’m lucky I’m alive. It blew the back off the building,” he said. “Twenty feet (6 meters) of the back wall is gone. The whole roof is missing. At least half the building is still here. It’s bad.”

Emma Goddard, 15, said she was working at the Tropical Smoothie Cafe when she got a phone alert about the tornado. Thinking the weather outside looked “stormy, but not scary,” she dismissed it and returned to what she was doing. Her mother then called and she assured her mom she was OK.

Two minutes later, she was pouring a customer’s smoothie when her coworker’s mom rushed in yelling for them to get to the back of the building, Goddard told The Associated Press by text message. They took shelter in the walk-in cooler, where they could hear windows shattering.

“I was crammed shoulder-to-shoulder with my seven co-workers, two of my co-workers’ parents and a lady from Door Dash coming to pick up her smoothies.”

When they left the cooler about 15 minutes later and stepped outside, they saw “some of our cars in pieces and insulation all over the ground,” Goddard said. Three neighboring businesses were destroyed, she said.

Brian Lawson, a spokesman for Munson Healthcare, said Otsego Memorial Hospital was treating 23 people injured by the tornado and that one person was killed. He didn’t know the conditions of the injured or the name of the person who died.

The Michigan State Patrol confirmed that one person was killed, saying in a tweet that more than 40 others were hurt and being treated at area hospitals. The patrol planned to hold a briefing Saturday morning.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life,” Mayor Todd Sharrard said. “I’m numb.”

Video posted online showed a dark funnel cloud materialize out of a cloud as nervous drivers looked on or slowly drove away, uncertain of its path.

Other video showed extensive damage along the city’s Main Street. One building appeared to be largely collapsed and a Goodwill store was badly damaged. A collapsed utility pole lay on the side of the road, and debris, including what appeared to be electrical wires and parts of a Marathon gas station, was scattered all along the street.

The Red Cross set up a shelter at a church.

Brandie Slough, 42, said she and a teen daughter sought safety in a restroom at a Culver’s. Windows of the fast food restaurant were blown out when they emerged, and her pickup truck had been flipped on its roof in the parking lot.

“We shook our heads in disbelief but are thankful to be safe. At that point, who cares about the truck,” Slough said.

Eddie Thrasher, 55, said he was sitting in his car outside an auto parts store when the tornado seemed to appear above him.

“There are roofs ripped off businesses, a row of industrial-type warehouses,” Thrasher said. “RVs were flipped upside down and destroyed. There were a lot of emergency vehicles heading from the east side of town.”

He said he ran into the store to ride it out.

“My adrenaline was going like crazy,” Thrasher said. “In less than five minutes it was over.”

Extreme winds are uncommon in this part of Michigan because the Great Lakes suck energy out of storms, especially early in spring when the lakes are very cold, said Jim Keysor, a Gaylord-based meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

“Many kids and young adults would have never experienced any direct severe weather if they had lived in Gaylord their entire lives,” he said.

The last time Gaylord had a severe wind storm was in 1998, when straight-line winds reached 100 mph, Keysor said. He said the conditions that spawned Friday’s twister included a cold front moving in from Wisconsin and hitting hot and humid air over Gaylord, with the added ingredient of turning winds in the lower part of the atmosphere.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Otsego County, making further state resources available to the county.

Gaylord, known as the “Alpine Village,” is set to celebrate its 100th birthday this year, with a centennial celebration that will include a parade and open house at City Hall later this summer.

The community also holds the annual Alpenfest in July, an Alpine-inspired celebration honoring the city’s heritage and a partnership with a sister city in Switzerland.

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White reported from Detroit. AP reporters Corey Williams in Detroit, Ken Kusmer in Indianapolis, Sara Burnett in Chicago and Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis contributed.

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World

Tornado hits western German city; dozens injured

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BERLIN (AP) — A tornado swept through the western German city of Paderborn on Friday, injuring dozens of people as it blew away roofs, toppled trees and sent debris flying for miles, authorities said.

Meteorologists had warned that heavy rainfall and hail were expected in western and central Germany on Friday, with storms producing wind gusts up to 130 kph (81 mph). Storms on Thursday had already disrupted traffic, uprooted trees that toppled onto rail tracks and roads, and flooded hundreds of basements in western Germany.

Paderborn police said 43 people were injured in the storm that hit the city. Thirty were being treated in hospitals and 10 of those were seriously injured.

One woman was in a life-threatening condition, police said.

They urged people to remain in their houses so as not to hamper rescue efforts or endanger themselves.

Heavy storm damage was also reported in the nearby town of Lippstadt. A church steeple in the town was toppled and the German news agency dpa reported that more than 100 people were temporarily trapped in a local open air pool after fallen trees blocked the exit.

The regional fire service said all available rescuers were being deployed to the area.

Authorities in Bavaria said 14 people were injured Friday when the wooden hut they were trying to shelter in collapsed during a storm at Lake Brombach, south of Nuremberg. Among the injured were several children and a 37-year-old woman, who was airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries.

Police said two French citizens died after their motorized paraglider was caught by a strong gust of wind shortly after taking off Thursday from an airfield in Ballenstedt, 175 kilometers (109 miles) southwest of Berlin. Police in Saxony-Anhalt state said the pair, both 59, were urged to land because of a forecast for an abrupt change in the weather.

Shortly after the warning, “they appear to have been hit by a gust of wind that caused the paraglider to collapse, and the air vehicle crashed onto a field from a height of about 40 meters (131 feet),” police said.

Schools in the western city of Cologne closed before midday Friday to give students time to make it home safely before the storms hit.

Further south in Ahrweiler county, all schools remained closed Friday. More than 130 people were killed in the region last summer after it was hit by a flash flood in July.

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US

At Least 3 Tornadoes Touched Down Saturday in Oak Brook, Boone County: Officials – NBC Chicago

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The National Weather Service now believes that at least three tornadoes touched down across the Chicago area during a severe weather outbreak on Saturday, with straight-line winds also causing damage in Rockford.

According to officials, one of the three EF-0 tornadoes touched down in suburban Oak Brook, while the other two tornadoes both touched down in different parts of Boone County.

The first tornado touched down in Oak Brook near a Hilton Hotel and the Willow Crest Golf Club, according to officials. That twister, categorized as an EF-0 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, packed estimated peak wind speeds of 75 miles per hour, and reached a maximum width of 60 yards.

The tornado was on the ground for approximately 1.9 miles, and while it was it snapped tree branches and caused the roof of an outbuilding at the golf course to collapse. It was on the ground for three minutes before lifting up.

A second EF-0 tornado was reported in Boone County near Timberlane. That tornado, which reached an estimated peak wind speed of 80 miles per hour, was on the ground for approximately one minute at 5:55 p.m. and traveled a half-mile, reaching a maximum width of 60 yards.

Several trees were uprooted and snapped at the start of the tornado’s path, and several floating docks were thrown across Candlewick Lake, officials said.

A third tornado was reported approximately 12 minutes later in Capron. The extremely-brief tornado touched down in an open field near the intersection of Coon Trail and Capron Roads, and caused no known damage, with unknown wind speed and width.

Officials also said that after exhaustive investigation, using drone footage from the Rockford Fire Department and Doppler radar data from Chicago and Milwaukee, that storm damage in Rockford was caused not by a tornado, but by straight-line winds that gusted in excess of 70 miles per hour.

The straight-line winds caused a roof collapse of a building near the intersection of 9th and Broadway streets in Rockford. The winds also caused additional roof damage on other buildings, and snapped power poles and tree branches in the area.

All data is preliminary and is subject to change.

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