at least A series of tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma on Saturday, leaving four people dead, including an infant, as a weekend of extreme weather continued, injuring dozens and leaving a trail of destruction across the Midwest.
Local authorities have confirmed that a 4-month-old infant was among the two people killed in Holdenville. Holdenville, located 130 miles southeast of Oklahoma City, was one of the hardest hit towns in Oklahoma. About 20 tornadoes touched down in Holdenville late Saturday, destroying buildings and buildings. rip off the roof. The names of the victims have not been released, but at least four other people were injured as the tornado devastated the town of about 6,000 people.
The Oklahoma State Emergency Management Agency said a third death occurred near Marietta on Interstate 35, which was closed at the Texas border on Sunday, after “vehicles crossing the highway. The road was closed due to an overturned power line. Gov. Kevin Stitt, who has declared a state of emergency for 12 Oklahoma counties, said the body of a fourth known victim, a woman, was found in the rubble near a bar in downtown Sulfur.
Search and rescue operations continued into Sunday as emergency services responded to extensive damage caused by hail, strong winds and flooding.
Meteorologists consider tornadoes to be among the most violent and destructive of atmospheric storms, causing billions of dollars in damage each year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa). A tornado is a narrow, violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground. Wind is invisible, so it’s difficult to see a tornado unless water droplets, dust, and debris form a condensation funnel.
By Sunday afternoon, about 25,000 customers (residential and commercial) in Oklahoma and nearly 30,000 customers in Texas were without power, the company said. power outage.ustrack power company outages
More than 100 tornadoes have been reported since Friday.
The weekend’s chaos began in Lincoln, Nebraska, where a tornado near Omaha destroyed and damaged hundreds of homes and buildings, and continued into Saturday with heavy rain and high winds. Omaha health officials said dozens of people required hospital treatment for mild to moderate injuries, but no deaths were reported.
The National Weather Service (NWS) on Sunday issued tornado warnings for several Texas counties, warning of “risk of severe thunderstorms” for parts of eastern Texas, northwest Louisiana, and southwest Arkansas into Sunday night. is increasing,” he said.
11:27am (CDT) #SPC Day 1 Outlook Escalating Risk: This afternoon and evening in parts of eastern Texas, northwest Louisiana, and southwest Arkansas. https://t.co/TgJgC6cQZw pic.twitter.com/vjKjeYDpLY
— NWS Storm Prediction Center (@NWSSPC) April 28, 2024
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Flood and storm warnings are also in effect for millions of people in parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas.
Peak tornado season varies by region, starting from the Gulf Coast in the cooler months of spring, moving to the southern and central plains in May and June, and the northern plains and Midwest in early summer, Noah said. However, tornadoes have been reported in all 50 states and can occur at any time of the year. Most tornadoes occur between 4pm and 9pm.
Approximately 1,200 tornadoes occur in the United States each year, but changes in records and reporting make it difficult to track changes in trends over time. Climate change may be affecting where tornadoes form. the study Tornadoes are increasing in parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky (Dixie Valley), and slightly decreasing in the Great Plains, known as Tornado Valley. It has been shown that
