Wild storms, tornadoes slam Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas
SHAWNEE, Okla. – Parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas were blasted by wild storms and tornadoes while heavy rain and snow blanketed much of California and parts of the West on Monday as belligerent weather marched menacingly across the nation.
A winter storm watch was in effect across much of the Northeast. And in Michigan, 141,000 homes and businesses remained in the dark after five days of high winds, snow and ice that wreaked havoc on power lines.
Nine confirmed or suspected tornadoes swept through Kansas and Oklahoma late Sunday and early Monday, the National Weather Service reported. Texas also was blasted by storms that packed heavy winds and hail in some areas – a wind gust of 114 mph was reported in Memphis, Texas, 130 miles northeast of Lubbock. More than a dozen injuries were reported in the region.
“A lot of us didn’t get to get in (shelters), it was that quick,” said Dia Ingersoll, 42, hours after an apparent tornado raced through Shawnee, 40 miles east of Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma family never made it to storm cellar
Ingersoll, who has lived in her home for 17 years, said her roof has a hole in it where her chimney was torn away by the storm. She lost some shingles and a fence and outdoor furniture was damaged, she said. Next-door neighbors took significant damage; much of their roof is gone. Ingersoll said the home began to leak gas, leading to the shut-off of the neighborhood’s gas and electricity.
Ingersoll has a storm cellar in the backyard, but she, her fiancé and her mother were still in their living room when the tornado struck. The family was watching news reports that a tornado had hit the nearby Shawnee Mall when “not but two minutes later it hit us.”
“When the electricity went out my mother was stuck in her recliner,” she said. “My fiance had to jump on top of her because right next to it is a plate glass sliding door.”
Nevada braces for another foot of snow
In northern Nevada, many government offices were closed except for essential personnel. The winter storm was expected to hit the Reno area and drop a foot of snow atop the 6 inches that fell Sunday. Mountain areas were expecting more.
Bethany Drysdale, who lives in Carson City, said she was driving to work in Reno on Monday morning but eventually turned around and decided to work from home because authorities were enforcing traction control laws on Interstate 580. The area averages about 300 days of sunshine a year, said Drysdale, a spokesperson for Washoe County.
“We usually don’t have this quantity of snow this late. Schools are closed, roads are covered in snow and ice, and it’s windy, which makes it worse,” she said. “It feels odd to be going on two months of snow on the ground in Carson City.”
Blizzard warning could lead to ‘amazing powder days’ at ski resort
California’s Mammoth Mountain Ski Area was under a blizzard warning Monday, and managers warned of “intense” snowfall and high winds. The ski area sits at 11,000 feet above sea level in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and is rapidly approaching 500 inches of snowfall for the season. The resort got about 5 feet of snow last week and another 19 inches Sunday night, and 5 more feet is expected by Wednesday morning. Even before the winter ends – March is typically a snowy month – this season has been among the resort’s snowiest on record.
“What a season,” Mammoth spokeswoman Lauren Burke told USA TODAY. “The skiing and riding was incredible over the weekend, and while we expect limited lift operations the next few days, we are looking forward to some more amazing powder days later this week once this massive storm system moves out.”
Downed power lines in Norman, home of the University of Oklahoma
Severe damage was reported in Norman, home to the University of Oklahoma, as winds and tornadoes swept through the area Sunday night.
“Tornado WARNING in effect for OU-NORMAN Campus,” the school tweeted late Sunday. “Seek shelter NOW inside the building you are in. Move to lowest floor/interior room.” Other tweets warned the school’s more than 20,000 students to stay indoors and away from windows.
Gas leaks, downed power lines and uprooted trees were reported in Norman, Mayor Larry Heikkila told AccuWeather.
Sylvie Mawoh was reading her two children a bedtime story in their east Norman home when it came time to take shelter. They took cover inside a master bedroom closet as the tornado passed overhead, leaving damage throughout their neighborhood.
“It was scary. It felt like the whole house was going to fly away,” Mawoh said.
Calif. sees more snow; ‘near to impossible’ travel
Nearly all of California was experiencing rain or snow. Southern California and other parts of the state got some relief Sunday from the stunning snow, record rain and flooding that hit over the weekend. But another storm is expected to last through midweek.
“A continuation of cold and unsettled conditions are expected along the West Coast through midweek this week as waves of energy and moisture dive in from the Pacific,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said. Other developments:
⬤ A blizzard warning was in effect for the Sierra Nevada. The region could see snow accumulations from 2 to 6 feet with wind gusts up to 75 mph. The National Weather Service says travel will be “near to impossible.”
⬤ Los Angeles County will have “cold and unsettled” weather through midweek, and the region will get up to an inch of rain. The San Fernando Valley got over 10 inches of rain over the weekend, and downtown Los Angeles had more than 4 inches.
⬤ Snow levels could drop as low as 1,000 feet above sea level, AccuWeather says.
⬤ Officials were working through multiple highway closures in the Los Angeles area; snow could result in more closures.
AccuWeather senior meteorologist Adam Douty said the new storm this week “will not contain near as much moisture” as the preceding storm.
Winter storm warning in Great Lakes region
Freezing rain and snow were expected in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.
“Bad: Additional freezing rain & ice accumulation expected Monday,” the weather service tweeted. “Good: Accumulations should be less and stay north of ice storm impacted areas.”
In Michigan, more than 140,000 homes and businesses remained without power in the state Monday, according to PowerOutage.US.
Heavy snow makes it way to Northeast
A winter storm watch went into effect Monday throughout the Northeast, and snow was likely from northeast Pennsylvania across the region.
Heavy snow – several inches to a foot – was possible Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and New York.