Tornadoes

Subterms

    Latest story

    100 Shares30 Views

    Severe Storms Threaten Parts of Oklahoma and Texas

    by

    There was an enhanced risk for severe thunderstorms in parts of Texas and Oklahoma on Sunday, forecasters said. They warned of hail of up to three inches in diameter and of winds up to 80 miles per hour.Severe thunderstorms threatened parts of the Southern Plains on Sunday, where damaging winds, hail larger than baseballs and a few tornadoes were expected, forecasters warned.The storms were expected to develop starting by the middle of Sunday afternoon. Forecasters expressed the greatest concern for parts of central and northeastern Texas into central and southwestern Oklahoma.The Storm Prediction Center issued a level 3 out of 5 risk — or an enhanced risk — for severe weather for these areas on Sunday, warning of the possibility of hail of up to three inches in diameter and winds up to 80 miles per hour.Parts of the lower Mississippi Valley and the Deep South were also expected to face rounds of severe weather, including strong damaging winds and hail, as the storms move east into Sunday night.A couple of tornadoes were also possible on Sunday, especially for northeast Texas into southwest Oklahoma.The Weather Prediction Center issued a level 3 out of 4 risk for flash flooding through Monday, focused on central Oklahoma into northwestern Arkansas.The potential for thunderstorms was expected to continue on Monday, with large hail and damaging winds still the primary concerns. The highest risk will be across north and central Texas and into parts of Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas.Large hail, some possibly bigger than golf balls, and damaging winds will be likely over central and western Texas.Farther east, Alabama, Mississippi and parts of Louisiana may also experience scattered strong storms later on Monday afternoon, though the storm threat is expected to be lower in these regions.John Pike, a forecaster at the Weather Service office in Norman, Okla., on Saturday called the weather “quite typical” for the lower Great Plains where spring thunderstorm activity usually peaks in May. More

    More stories

    • 163 Shares84 Views

      in Elections

      Warning Sirens Were Silent Ahead of Deadly Tornado in St. Louis, City Says

      by

      Mayor Cara Spencer placed the city’s emergency manager on administrative leave pending an investigation into the failure to warn residents.Just before a tornado descended on St. Louis with a roar — killing five people and injuring dozens during its sweep through the city on Friday — there was a silence where there should not have been.There was no wailing warning from the city. No high-pitched alarm. Nothing to warn the city’s residents and send them scrambling to their basements or bathtubs. Only wind.The city’s sirens to warn people of a tornado threat were never activated by the City Emergency Management Agency, and a backup to activate the mechanism that is operated by the Fire Department was broken.Mayor Cara Spencer has placed the city’s emergency manager, Sarah Russell, on paid administrative leave while an investigation is conducted into a series of failures, Ms. Spencer’s office said in a statement issued on Tuesday. The mayor’s office also said that it had changed the protocol for activating the warning system as a result of what had happened.The city’s emergency management agency “exists, in large part, to alert the public to dangers caused by severe weather, and the office failed to do that in the most horrific and deadly storm our city has seen in my lifetime,” Ms. Spencer said in her statement.Ms. Russell could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday.City officials confirmed that one of five people killed in Friday’s storm was outside when the tornado ripped through St. Louis. About 40 people were injured in the storm, but city officials did not know how many of them were outdoors when they were hurt.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 163 Shares109 Views

      in Elections

      After a Deadly Tornado, a Small Kentucky City Starts Picking Up the Pieces

      by

      On Sunday morning in a small Kentucky city, the sun shone and birds chirped.They provided an incongruent backdrop to a scene that looked like a war zone. Just two days before, a fierce tornado carved a 16-mile path of destruction through Laurel County, Ky., and in its county seat of London, the damage was clear: roofs ripped from homes, tree limbs sheared off, cars left as twisted hunks of metal. And several residents dead.By the afternoon, the Sunshine Hills neighborhood of London was filled with the cacophonous beeping of backhoes, accompanied by an army of faith-based volunteers.Those volunteers were among the many people in London, a city of 8,000 about 80 miles south of Lexington, who worked together this weekend to help not only those in need but also the whole community as it tried to process the disaster. Amid the grief and devastation, ensuring displaced people got the necessary supplies and assistance was top of mind for many.“It didn’t seem right to be sitting at home with our property being untouched with so many people struggling,” said Hannah Clark, who lives in neighboring Pulaski County but came to London to volunteer.The tornado was part of a storm system that tore through the central United States starting Friday, killing at least 28 people. Of those, 19 died in Kentucky, all but two in Laurel County. Outside of Kentucky, Missouri was also hit hard: Seven people died in that state, with five in St. Louis.Most of the victims in Laurel County were killed in Sunshine Hills, according to Gilbert Acciardo, a public affairs official for the county sheriff’s office, who did not give an exact number. Many of them were older, ranging in age from 50 to 70.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 100 Shares70 Views

      in Elections

      Rare Chicago Dust Storm Turns Day Into Night

      by

      Day turned to night in northwest Indiana and north-central Illinois on Friday as a rare dust storm shrouded the skies.A large dust storm moved through Illinois on Friday, reducing visibility in the suburbs as well as in Chicago.Stephanie Alderson Heppe/UGC, via ReutersAn avalanche of fine particles rolled across northwest Indiana and north-central Illinois on Friday, turning day to night in an area of the country rarely hit by dust storms.A dark cloud suddenly brought near-zero visibility conditions on Friday afternoon to major highways, including Interstates 55 and 57 in Illinois, leading the National Weather Service to fire off a series of warnings about “dangerous, life-threatening” conditions on roads.As the wave of sifting dust blew into Chicago, it created a dramatic scene. Visibility dropped to a quarter-mile at Chicago Midway International Airport.“This is not common at all,” Zachary Wack, a meteorologist with the Weather Service office in Romeoville, 30 miles southwest of Chicago, said on Friday.Friday was the first time that the Weather Service office in Romeoville, which covers a large area that includes Chicago, had ever issued a dust storm warning for the city.Mr. Wack was working as the first warnings were being issued. Then the dust storm arrived at his office.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 125 Shares139 Views

      in Elections

      Communities Brace for Flooding as Storm Moves Across Central U.S.

      by

      The rising water levels have prompted rescues and road closures. The storm, which has already wreaked havoc across the South and the Midwest, doesn’t show signs of letting up.Rivers were rising rapidly across much of the Midwest and South on Saturday, prompting water rescues and road closures as a relentless storm continued to dump rain and to rage across the country. The increased flooding, which was happening from Texas to Ohio, came after days of heavy rains and tornadoes that killed at least nine people, including a Missouri firefighter who died while responding to a water rescue call on Friday. Forecasters warned that the floods might continue well into next week, with rivers not expected to crest in some places until Tuesday or Wednesday.Emergency workers reported overnight water rescues in Texarkana, Texas; Izard County, Ark.; and several places in southern Missouri, including around Cape Girardeau. “We’ve got flooded streets everywhere — and lots more rain on the way,” the Texarkana police posted on Facebook.On Friday, the local sheriff in Izard County, in northern Arkansas, was traveling to rescue a family when he crashed his truck on a washed-out road. The sheriff was not injured, but photos showed his truck partially submerged.“All county roads will have major damage like this for the coming days that can be hidden by the water,” the department warned, adding that people should stay home if possible. More

    • 138 Shares149 Views

      in Elections

      Tornadoes Sweep Across the South and Midwest, Killing at Least 7

      by

      After hail, heavy rains and more than 30 tornadoes drenched the region, officials warned that a “generational flooding” disaster was possible.At least seven people have been killed in Tennessee, Missouri and Indiana, officials said on Thursday, after more than 30 tornadoes, combined with hail and heavy rains, swept through the South and Midwest, flooding streets, snapping power lines and flattening homes and businesses.The flooding was expected to worsen as the storm stalls over the region, putting millions under severe weather advisories over the next few days. Officials warned that a “generational flooding” disaster was possible as more than a foot of rain could fall, pushing swollen rivers and creeks over their banks.Cities and counties across the Midwest and South were ramping up efforts to prepare for the severe flooding that was predicted for the days ahead. Officials said that schools in some districts in Tennessee and Kentucky would be closed on Friday.The Army Corps of Engineers said it had filled about 1,500 sandbags to reinforce a levee near Poplar Bluff, Mo., where the Black River was expected to surge to near-record flood levels over the weekend. An urban search-and-rescue team was also deploying to the area.Gov. Mike Braun of Indiana said he was activating the National Guard to help with the storm response.As much as 10 to 15 inches of rain could fall through the weekend, the National Weather Service said. The most intense rain was expected in Arkansas and Tennessee, where floodwaters were rising in parts of Nashville and rescues were underway.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 100 Shares149 Views

      in Elections

      Scenes From Eight States Battered by Weekend Storms

      by

      A cross-country storm system tore through the South and the Midwest over the weekend, accompanied by tornadoes, dust storms and wildfires. Severe damage was reported in at least eight states.Number of reported deaths from storms and firesOfficials reported at least 40 deaths across seven states that have been attributed to severe weather in the South and Midwest. More

    • 88 Shares99 Views

      in Elections

      Severe Storm Risk Shifts to East Coast

      by

      Thunderstorms and potentially tornadoes are expected from Central Florida to western Pennsylvania on Sunday, forecasters said.The deadly bombardment of severe storms that spawned tornadoes and dust storms across the Midwest and South is expected to sweep across the East Coast on Sunday. The system, which has killed at least 36 people, is expected to unleash storms that could generate tornadoes across the Mid-Atlantic and the Southeast.The turbulent weather that has caused widespread destruction is part of a huge cross-country system that dropped hail — some as large as baseballs — and produced tornadoes Friday and Saturday that killed at least 23 people.The system also caused wildfires driven by hurricane-force winds, and dust storms that led to crashes that killed at least 13 people in Kansas, Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle.On Sunday, the threat of tornadoes and thunderstorms is expected to be over in the South and will shift east, though at a level much lower than it was on Saturday.Forecasters said there would be a slight risk of severe storms and tornadoes from Central Florida to western Pennsylvania. However, a higher enhanced risk was in place for western and central Pennsylvania.“I’m not expecting the coverage to be as significant and the storms to be as numerous in terms of the overall severity,” said Rich Otto, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center. “But there’s still going to be a risk for tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds.”Mr. Otto said that Mississippi and Alabama, which experienced the highest possible level of tornado risk on Saturday, “should have a relatively tranquil day on Sunday.”Tornadoes across the South and MidwestLocations of tornado sightings or damage reported since Friday morning. More

    • 125 Shares199 Views

      in Elections

      Forecasters Issue Highest Risk Alert for Tornadoes in the South

      by

      A rare outlook for potentially violent tornadoes is being forecast Saturday.Forecasters believe that particularly intense, long-lasting severe storms at a level typically experienced only once or twice in a lifetime could sweep through this region of the South.Saturday might be one of those lifetime events for someone in that zone. The Weather Service has issued the highest risk for tornadoes today and began issuing tornado warnings for swaths of the Midwest on Friday night.“Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter,” the Weather Service warned residents in parts of Western Illinois. “Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.”An “extremely dangerous” tornado moving at 55 miles per hour was confirmed in Eastern Missouri, according to the Weather Service.These storms are all connected to the intense storm system reeking havoc across the Central U.S. which within the last day has brought damaging strong winds, tornadoes across the Midwest and dust storms and wildfires sweeping across the Plains. Saturday’s storms will be moving extremely fast, and may catch people off guard. They have the potential to form numerous significant tornadoes, some of which could be potentially violent, damaging hurricane-force (greater than 74 miles per hour) and golf ball or even baseball size hail.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More