Tornadoes, high winds blow through Southern Plains

Parts of the Southern Plains counted the injured and surveyed the damage Monday after tornadoes and other powerful winds swept through.

In California, the National Weather Service said a series of winter storm systems will continue moving into the state through Wednesday.

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.

Police in Norman, Oklahoma, responded Sunday night to storm damage in parts of the city. Officials said there were 12 confirmed weather-related injuries there, none considered critical.

Crews canvassed the damaged area looking for others who might be injured. Possible tornadoes and wind gusts as high as 90 mph were reported in Oklahoma, with downed trees and power lines, road closures, and damage to homes and businesses around Norman, Shawnee and Cheyenne. Classes were canceled Monday at two damaged elementary schools, said Norman Police Chief Kevin Foster.

There were reports of nine tornadoes in Kansas, Oklahoma and northwestern Texas, said Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster for the weather service. Weather service teams planned to survey storm damage Monday to determine the strength of the tornadoes.

The severe weather threat remained Monday, with thunderstorms expected to produce damaging gusts across the Ohio Valley, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

Blizzard warnings began going into effect Monday in the Sierra Nevada range as more rounds of rain and snow entered California from the north and moved south.

In the Sierra, Yosemite National Park announced it would be closed until midweek.

The new series of storms arrived even as parts of the state were still digging out from last week’s powerful storm.

Santa Clarita, in the hills north of Los Angeles, received its first significant snowfall since 1989.

“We went outside and we let our sons play in the snow,” resident Cesar Torres told the Santa Clarita Signal. “We figured, while the snow’s there, might as well make a snowman out of it.”

KOCO VIA AP An image taken from video provided by KOCO shows damage to a property after severe storms, in Shawnee, Oklahoma, late Sunday. Powerful storms with widespread wind gusts and reported tornadoes swept across Oklahoma and Kansas, leaving more than a dozen people injured.