Powerful storms bring tornadoes to US states, large hail to Kansas
OKLAHOMA CITY: Powerful storms have erupted in the central United States, bringing tornadoes to rural Oklahoma and large hail in parts of Kansas, with forecasters warning that the dangerous weather could stretch into the early hours of Tuesday amid a rare high-risk weather warning for the two states.
“You can’t rely on waiting to see tornadoes before sheltering tonight,” the National Weather Service said Monday.
Gusty winds and heavy rains began Monday afternoon, while tornadoes were spotted after dark skirting northern Oklahoma, including one that touched down about a 45-minute drive north of Tulsa.
At one point, a storm in the small town of Covington had “produced tornadoes off and on for over an hour,” the National Weather Service said. Throughout the area, wind farm turbines spun rapidly in the wind and blinding rain.
In Kansas, some areas were pelted by apple-sized hail 3 inches in diameter. The storms tore through Oklahoma as areas, including Sulphur and Holdenville, were still recovering from a tornado that killed four and left thousands without power late last month.
Both the Plains and Midwest have been hammered by tornadoes this spring. Oklahoma’s State Emergency Operations Centre, which coordinates storm response from a bunker near the state Capitol, remains activated from last weekend’s deadly storms. The Weather Service said more than 3.4 million people, 1,614 schools and 159 hospitals in Oklahoma, portions of southern Kansas and far northern Texas, faced the most severe threat for tornadoes on Monday.