Storms roll eastwards after hitting Texas; 2 dead
A large storm system spouting heavy winds and possible tornados in Texas, Louisiana and Kentucky damaged homes and buildings, downed trees, left thousands without power and was blamed for the deaths of two people Friday as it marched eastward, threatening heavy snow in the Midwest and Northeast.
After spawning likely tornadoes overnight in Texas and Louisiana that damaged a university campus, the storms threatened the Tennessee and Ohio valleys with high winds and more tornadoes as they moved toward New England, officials said.
A 70-year-old man sitting in his truck as strong winds blew through Talledega County, Alabama, was killed Friday when a tree fell onto the vehicle. Coroner Shaddix Murphy said it happened about 11:30 a.m. as a storm system came through the area.
“The death appears to be weather-related, with the winds we were having at the time,” Murphy said. The victim was identified as Allen Cooley of Talledega.
In west central Mississippi, a person was killed inside a vehicle Friday after a tree, toppled by strong winds, struck the car. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has not identified the person but said in a news release that their death is being considered as weather-related.
Parts of southwestern Michigan and northern Indiana saw rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow and strong wind gusts Friday, according to Indiana Michigan Power. The National Weather Service issued numerous tornado warnings in parts of Indiana, Alabama and western Georgia.
In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear warned of possible tornadoes and 55- to 65-mph wind gusts after rain moves through the state. Several school districts closed in anticipation.
“The wind will really kick in after the storm moves through,” Beshear said Friday. “I don’t want people to have confidence that it’s going to be safe.”
Power provider Ameren Illinois reported more than 18,000 customers without service in the central part of the state after storms packing wind gusts as high as 69 mph swept through the region.
In New England, the storm was expected to bring as much as 18 inches of snow and winds gusts as high as 40 mph to parts of New Hampshire and Maine.
The weather service issued a winter storm warning from 10 p.m. Friday until 7 p.m. Saturday and said that a mix of snow, sleet and rain was expected in southern New England and that minor coastal flooding was possible in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
The storms slammed California earlier in the week with as much as 10 feet of snow, with some residents in mountains east of Los Angeles looking at being stuck in their homes for at least another week.
The weather service surveyed damage Friday near Pickton, about 80 miles east of Dallas, where a confirmed tornado struck, according to meteorologist Daniel Huckaby.
Winds of nearly 80 mph were recorded near the Fort Worth suburb of Blue Mound. The roof of an apartment building in the suburb of Hurst was blown away, resident Michael Roberts told KDFW-TV.
“The whole building started shaking. … The whole ceiling is gone,” Roberts said. “It got really crazy.”
The Dallas suburb of Richardson asked residents to stop using water after the storm knocked out power to pumping stations. The city said in a statement early Friday that electricity and water service had been restored.
North of Dallas, winds brought down trees, ripped the roof off a grocery store in Little Elm and overturned four 18-wheelers along U.S. Highway 75. Minor injuries were reported, police said.
Buildings at Louisiana State University-Shreveport were damaged, and trees were toppled, said spokesperson Erin Smith, but the campus was reopening Friday after being shut down overnight.
More than 184,000 Tennessee customers and more than 94,000 in Alabama were without electricity Friday, according to PowerOutage.us.
Heavy rain was reported in northern Arkansas and southern Missouri, causing flooding in both states.
The Alley Spring Campground in Missouri flooded with nearly nine feet of water Friday, the National Weather Service said, adding: “Turn around, don’t drown when encountering flooded roads. Many flood deaths occur in vehicles.”
Police in Hardy, Arkansas, about 115 miles north of Little Rock, asked residents along the Spring River to leave their homes because of flooding, while hail and strong winds were reported in Oklahoma.
Parts of southeastern Missouri were under a flash flood warning Friday after heavy rain swelled streams and flooded low-lying highways with runoff, according to the Missouri State Department of Transportation.