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    • Tornado threats remain in Oklahoma after a weekend of damaging storms
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    Tornado threats remain in Oklahoma after a weekend of damaging storms

    Vaseline Posted on

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    OKLAHOMA CITY — Thunderstorms and possible tornadoes remained in the forecast Monday for the southern U.S., including Oklahoma, where an outbreak of tornadoes over the weekend injured at least 11 people, damaged homes and left thousands without power, officials said.

    Flood and tornado warnings were active in central and eastern Oklahoma as forecasters expected additional rain to flood the storm-ravaged state. Flood advisories extended to Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas and Texas.

    Multiple tornadoes damaged at least 100 homes Saturday and Sunday as flooding trapped people in their cars and uprooted trees and entangled power lines. In Tulsa County, about 100 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, lightning strikes set a house on fire.

    Gov. Kevin Stitt has issued an emergency declaration for six counties affected by the storms. He said at a news conference on Sunday that one of the state’s top priorities will be restoring power to polling places before Election Day.

    More than 12,200 homes and businesses in central and eastern Oklahoma were in the dark early Monday morning, compared to the nearly 82,000 people who were without power Sunday morning, according to an outage tracker from USA TODAY.

    The governor asked residents Monday to keep an eye on weather updates as forecasters expect more severe weather. “Sometimes as an Oklahoman, as a fourth-generation Oklahoman, you think, ‘Man, it could never affect me,’ but you have to be very careful,” he said.

    In Oklahoma City, Krystal Kearns was in her home when a tornado siren started sounding. Her dog jumped into her bed and she heard a window break. After the storm passed, she was shocked by the damage.

    “My garden shed is in that tree,” Kearns told the Oklahoman, part of the USA TODAY Network. The storm destroyed her yard, smashed her fence and smashed a piece of wood into her new roof.

    “How can you have any sense of normalcy here right now? We found part of a bumper here. My barn is still there,” Kearns said. “I don’t know how that happened.”

    Where did the tornadoes land?

    Rick Smith, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service, said at least five tornadoes ripped through the state on Sunday.

    “It’s unusual for tornadoes to be this strong after midnight at any time of year, especially in November,” he said. “We always tell people that tornado season runs from January 1st to December 31st. It can happen at any time if you have the right choice. ingredients.”

    The National Weather Service released tornado ratings for at least three damaging tornadoes this weekend. In Norman, a college town southeast of Oklahoma City with a population of 128,000, an estimated EF3 tornado touched down in the area. Such a tornado is considered “strong” and can unleash wind speeds of 130 to 165 miles per hour.

    Tornado damage near Newcastle, a community southwest of Oklahoma City, was rated EF1. Meanwhile, a damage survey in Oklahoma City estimated that an EF3 tornado ripped through a community southeast of downtown.

    The Enhanced Fujita Scale, which meteorologists use to classify tornadoes, ranges from zero to five. Estimated wind speeds, observed damage, and damage verified in weather service surveys following tornadoes are taken into account.

    Flooding rain forecast for central US through Election Day

    The National Weather Service said a series of storms barreling through Oklahoma will drench the state with heavy rain and bring possible tornadoes Monday and overnight into Tuesday, forecasters say.

    Eastern Oklahoma, “where damaging winds, large hail and isolated tornadoes are most likely,” remains at an increased risk for severe thunderstorms, the Weather Prediction Center said. Much of the state was still wet from the weekend’s storms, raising the threat of rising rivers and waterlogged roads.

    “Flash flooding remains likely as amounts could exceed 5 centimeters locally,” the weather forecast center said.

    The threat of powerful thunderstorms was not limited to the southern and central US. The weather service said storms could affect communities from North Texas to Illinois. On Election Day, the worst weather conditions will be concentrated in parts of Arkansas, Texas, the Mississippi Valley and the Midwest, the weather service said.

    “Those waiting in line outside to vote Tuesday will need to be prepared for the threat of lightning and heavy rain showers,” said Dan Pydynowski, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.

    By the time the storms move out of Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma on Tuesday, between 8 and 12 inches of rain are expected to fall, with local amounts of up to 18 inches possible, according to AccuWeather.

    On Wednesday, the storms are expected to shift eastward and bring heavy rain to the Ohio and Tennessee valleys.

    Contributing: Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Thao Nguyen and Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY

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