Twisters rip across Southern Plains
Parts of the country bracing for storms, snow — and a mess
OKLAHOMA CITY — Parts of the Southern Plains counted the injured and surveyed the damage Monday after tornadoes and other powerful winds swept through, killing at least one person in Oklahoma, while some Michigan residents faced a fifth consecutive day without power following last week’s ice storm.
In California, the National Weather Service said winter storms will continue moving into the state through Wednesday after residents got a brief break from severe weather Sunday.
Parts of the Northeast that have seen little snow this winter were under a winter storm warning. And forecasters warned of continued high winds in parts of the Plains and of thunderstorms and possible tornadoes in the Ohio Valley.
The storm system produced at least four tornadoes as it moved across central and northeastern Illinois, including two that formed in suburbs west of Chicago, authorities said.
At least one person was killed and three others injured after a tornado touched down Sunday night in far western Oklahoma near the town of Cheyenne, where 20 homes were damaged and four others destroyed, Roger Mills County Emergency Manager Levi Blackketter reported.
Officials in Norman, Oklahoma, confirmed 12 weather-related injuries after tornadoes and wind gusts
as high as 90 mph were reported in the state Sunday night. The winds toppled trees and power lines, closed roads and damaged homes and businesses around Norman and Shawnee.
Classes were canceled Monday at two damaged elementary schools, said Norman police Chief Kevin Foster.
Frances Tabler, of Norman, told KOCO-TV that she suffered a small cut on her head when a storm hit her home, tearing off much of its roof and sending debris flying. She said it was a miracle her children weren’t hurt, although
her daughter was briefly trapped in a bedroom.
“It was just like a blizzard in the house with all the debris flying,” Tabler told KOCO. “I was screaming for my kids.”
Nolan Meister, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said a wind gust of 114 mph was recorded in Texas, with gusts of 70 mph to 90 mph in central Oklahoma.
“It hit real hard in about 20 minutes, and it was gone,” said Cindy Woodard, city secretary in the Texas Panhandle city of Memphis, about 90 miles southeast of Amarillo, where the 114-mph gust was recorded.
More than 76,000 customers lost power in Oklahoma, but most had it restored by Monday, Oklahoma’s Office of Emergency Management reported.
There were reports of nine tornadoes in Kansas, Oklahoma and northwestern Texas, weather officials said. One tornado near Liberal, Kansas, damaged more than a dozen homes and caused minor injuries to one person, KSNW-TV reported.
Blizzard warnings went into effect Monday in the Sierra Nevada range as more rounds of rain and snow moved into California.
State offices across northern Nevada and the Nevada Legislature in Carson City both shut down Monday due to the winter storms.
The new series of storms arrived even as parts of California were still digging out from last week’s powerful storm, which added to a massive snowpack left by a siege of “atmospheric rivers” in December and January.
In the Sierra, Yosemite National Park announced it would be closed until midweek, and numerous roads were closed in Sequoia National Park.
Trans-sierra highways were subject to closures and chain requirements.
East of Los Angeles, all roads to San Bernardino Mountain resort communities around Big Bear Lake remained closed because of last week’s huge snowfall. One route to the Mojave Desert was open only to downhill traffic. In the San Gabriel Mountains, roads remained closed to the Mountain High resort, where the storm dumped more than 7 feet of snow.
Suburban Santa Clarita, in hills north of Los Angeles, received its first significant snowfall since 1989.
“We went outside, and we let our sons play in the snow,” Cesar Torres told the Santa Clarita Signal. “We figured, while the snow’s there, might as well make a snowman out of it.”
In Michigan, still reeling from last week’s ice storm, more than 180,000 customers were without power Monday, according to Poweroutage.us. That was down from more than 800,000 at one point last week. Crews continued to restore electricity.
Leah Thomas, whose home north of Detroit lost power Wednesday night, got her power back Sunday — only to have it go out again Monday.
“It’s very frustrating, very frustrating,” she said.
A winter storm warning covered parts of the Northeast, including Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island, with heavy snow forecast through Tuesday afternoon.
Boston could get 5 inches and a messy Tuesday morning commute, according to the weather service. As much as 10 inches could fall in western Massachusetts, northwest Connecticut and southern Vermont.