Tornado Kills at Least Five in Oklahoma
Dozens of tornadoes hit across the Central and Southern Plains as forecasters warn more are likely Sunday.
| Posted Sunday, April 15, 2012, at 12:22 PM
Photo by Eric Francis/Getty Images
UPDATE: Forecasters had warned of “life-threatening” storms and they were right. Dozens of tornadoes hit Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa overnight, but there seem to have been limited casualties because many hit very rural areas, reports Reuters. The big exception was one tornado that struck the northwest Oklahoma town of Woodward early Sunday morning, killing at least 5 people. Reuters cites the Woodward’s mayor saying that lightning appears to have disabled the town’s storm-warning system.
During the height of the storm, “tornadoes popped up faster than they could be tallied,” writes the Associated Press. There were at least 97 reports of tornadoes by dawn Sunday. Meanwhile, forecasters warned that dangerous storms could still form in a large swath of the country, stretching from southern Texas to northern Michigan.
Saturday, April 14: A tornado in Oklahoma Friday was seen as the first sign of what could be a very busy weekend for weather activity across several states, notes the Oklahoman. At least three possible tornadoes have been spotted outside Oklahoma City Saturday but the most dangerous weather is expected Saturday afternoon, reports the Associated Press, noting that a large area between Minnesota and Texas could be a risk.
The area between Oklahoma City and Salina, Kan. is expected to see the worst of it, although warnings also affected parts of Illinois, Iowa, Missouri Nebraska, and Texas. The Storm Prediction Center said the severe weather outbreak could be a “high-end, life-threatening event.”
Big cities that could be afected include Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska; Topeka and Wichita in Kansas; and Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma, reports Reuters.
