Storm catchers in pursuit of Texas tornado die in collision
A storm system blamed for the death of a truck driver in Oklahoma barrelled eastward Wednesday, generating a tornado in Houston and threatening additional bad weather in the central United States.
The day after three storm chasers died in a collision as they raced toward a tornado-warned storm in West Texas, the U.S. Storm Prediction Center said 17 million people from Missouri to Louisiana risked seeing twisters, hail and high winds on Wednesday.
Fire officials in Fort Worth, Texas, said two boys — ages 11 and 12 — were electrocuted by power lines downed during violent weather on Wednesday evening.
Spokesman Lt. Kyle Falkner said two boys, ages 11 and 12, were killed Wednesday evening in a heavily wooded area near Oakland Lake Park.
The severe weather threat shifted east Wednesday, covering an area from near Kansas City, Missouri, to the Gulf Coast. Even stronger storms are expected today in parts of Mississippi and Tennessee.
Three storm chasers died when their vehicles collided at a rural crossroads during severe West Texas storms on Tuesday.
Two of the victims were contractors for the Weather Channel. There was a confirmed tornado reported about the time of the mid-afternoon fatal crash, according to Texas authorities.
“This afternoon we learned that three people died in a car accident in Texas, including two contractors for the Weather Channel, Kelley Williamson and Randy Yarnall,” the Weather Channel wrote in a statement posted on its website. “Kelley and Randy were beloved members of the weather community.”
The crash happened at a remote intersection near the town of Spur, about 90 kilometres southeast of Lubbock. Funnel clouds were in the area at the time of the crash and heavy rain was reported, according to the National Weather Service.
Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. John Gonzalez said Williamson, 57, and Yarnall, 55, were in a black Chevrolet Suburban travelling northbound and collided with a westbound jeep. The jeep’s driver was identified as fellow storm chaser Corbin Lee Jaeger, 25.