Tag Archives: Tornadoes

Five dead in storms in U.S. South as floods continue

SHREVEPORT, La. (Reuters) – The death toll from storms in Southern U.S. states rose to five as storm-weary residents of Louisiana and Mississippi watched for more flooding on Monday from drenching rains that inundated homes, washed out roads and prompted thousands of rescues.

Flood waters across Louisiana were blamed for four deaths and damage to at least 5,000 homes, and one person drowned in a flooded area in Oklahoma last week. Flood warnings were in effect as rivers, bayous and creeks stayed high after storms dumped more than 20 inches of rain in some places.

In Louisiana, Harold Worsham, 78, drowned in Saline Bayou when his boat capsized as he tried to remove items from a home as waters rose on Saturday night, according to the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Many rivers and lakes in northern Louisiana have risen to historic levels and homes there face the threat of yet more flooding, said Matt Hemingway, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Shreveport.

“It’s going to take some time for them to fall back down below flood stage,” he said. “Some folks may be in this situation not just days but weeks.”

Authorities and meteorologists described the flooding as some of the worst seen in the region apart from that spawned by hurricanes. President Barack Obama declared flooding in Louisiana a major disaster on Sunday, activating federal aid.

The Louisiana National Guard said it had rescued more than 3,000 people and 300 pets.

Weldon Thomas, who lives in the Lake Bistineau area, said the flood was devastating for many of his neighbors.

“This is the worst flood that these people have ever seen, and some of them have been there 60 or 70 years,” he said. “It’s a tragic situation for everybody.”

In Bossier Parish, several feet of water covered low parts of normally busy Highway 71 and water rose to the top of road signs. Stranded livestock huddled on patches of dry land.

Emergency officials in Mississippi said flooding threatened to close interstates 59 and 10, which they warned could result in major traffic congestion.

As of Sunday afternoon, 185 homes were destroyed or significantly damaged in Mississippi and about 650 more sustained minor damage, according to the state.

Mandatory evacuation orders issued by authorities in the Texas county of Newton, which borders Louisiana, remained in effect for people living near the Sabine River over flood dangers.

(Additional reporting and writing by Colleen Jenkins and Curtis Skinner; Editing by Dan Grebler and James Dalgleish)

Tornado reported, flash flood watches expanded as severe weather targets South

Portions of the Southern Plains on Tuesday morning were beginning to feel the force of the thunderstorms and flash flooding that is expected to hit the region over the next few days.

National Weather Service radar showed rain falling across Texas and Oklahoma, the beginning of a series of thunderstorms forecast to bring up to 10 inches of rain to the South by Thursday.

The service said the thunderstorms could also generate tornadoes, and its Storm Prediction Center had already received one report of a funnel cloud in Texas by 10 a.m. Central Time.

A tornado watch was in effect for 31 counties in Texas. It was set to expire at 1 p.m. today.

Other counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth area were under warnings and watches for severe thunderstorms, and the service advised high wind gusts and penny-sized hail were possible.

The National Weather Service also expanded its flash flood watches to larger parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana, warning waters could rise quickly in those areas. The highest rainfall totals are still expected in East Texas, Western Louisiana and Southwest Arkansas, but updated forecasts show parts of Missouri and Oklahoma could receive 4 inches.

Many of the flash flood watches are slated to begin this afternoon and continue through Thursday, though residents of the affected areas should monitor their local forecasts.

The service’s Storm Prediction Center said communities in South Texas, as well as those along the state’s Gulf Coast, had the highest risk of experiencing severe thunderstorms today. It said there was an “enhanced” risk of the storms in those areas, the middle level on a five-tier system.

But the tornado was reported in Tolar, which is located about 80 miles southwest of Dallas.

The Storm Prediction Center had received at least 10 reports of high winds as of 10 a.m. Central Time, all in North Texas. The reports indicated that gusts of up to 70 mph were recorded in Tarrant County, where a roof was blown off a business and large branches fell on a sidewalk.

Utility company Oncor said about 36,000 of its customers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area were without power as of 10 a.m. Tuesday. And flight monitoring website flightaware.com said some 230 flights to or from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport had been delayed by that time.

Bibles survive as tornado flattens 145-year-old Virginia church

Tornadoes caused widespread damage throughout the Gulf and Atlantic coasts earlier this week, though some of the most severe destruction was reported in Virginia.

Reports to the National Weather Service indicate tornadoes caused major damage to buildings throughout the state on Wednesday, and the Virginia State Police said four people were killed.

One of those tornadoes destroyed a 145-year-old church in Tappahannock, local television station WTVR reported, but about two dozen Bibles and song books survived the destruction.

The National Weather Service’s storm reports show that an EF3 tornado, a classification that is capable of producing winds from 136 to 165 mph, tore through Tappahannock on Wednesday.

WTVR reported that no one at the church was injured, as a planned bible study had been cancelled ahead of the severe weather, but at least 25 people were injured elsewhere in town.

Tappahannock is located in Essex County, about 95 miles south of Washington.

Elsewhere, local officials said tornadoes killed two people in Louisiana and another in Mississippi on Tuesday, while a falling tree killed a man in South Carolina on Wednesday.

Death toll rises to 8 as tornadoes sweep through Southeast

The death toll from the severe thunderstorms and tornadoes that damaged homes and businesses across the United States over the past two days now stands at eight, officials said.

The National Weather Service received 68 reports of tornadoes in the Gulf Coast and Southeast on Tuesday and Wednesday, along with about 500 reports of wind damage from Florida to Maine. The reports mentioned damages to homes and businesses, indicating some were destroyed, as well as numerous downed trees and power lines throughout the storm area.

Tornadoes were reported in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida on Tuesday, and Florida, Virginia and North Carolina on Wednesday. It’s possible that some of those storm reports reference the same funnel cloud, as there are numerous counties listed multiple times.

Officials said severe weather killed five people Wednesday, four in Virginia and one in South Carolina. They came a day after tornadoes killed two people in Louisiana and one in Mississippi.

The Virginia State Police said three people were killed in Waverly, where a funnel cloud was reportedly spotted, and “significant debris” left two state highways impassible in the area.

Officials in Appomattox County said one person was killed after a reported tornado left a trail of destruction that stretched at least eight miles. In a Facebook post, they said some 100 structures were damaged — 20 severely — and 40 percent of the county’s homes were without power.

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency, joining governors in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi who issued similar decrees for the severe weather.

McAuliffe’s office said the governor was heading out to survey the damage on Thursday.

The National Weather Service’s reports indicate multiple houses were destroyed near Richmond, Virginia, and five houses were damaged near Granville, North Carolina, a snippet of the storm’s impact.

The reports also say winds toppled trees and power lines in areas where tornadoes weren’t seen.

In South Carolina, the Darlington County Coroner’s Office said a 58-year-old man was killed by a falling tree as he tried to remove storm debris from a road near his home.

Those downed trees and limbs helped knock out power to tens of thousands of people along the East Coast, some of whom were still without electricity on Thursday morning.

That included about 45,000 customers in Connecticut, local utility company Eversource said.

Tornadoes kill three in the South, more possible along East Coast

Tornadoes killed at least three people and damaged dozens of homes and businesses as a powerful storm system swept through the Gulf Coast on Tuesday evening, officials said.

More tornadoes were possible along the East Coast today, the National Weather Service warned, saying parts of Virginia and North Carolina had the highest chance of seeing extreme weather.

The service’s Storm Prediction Center received 31 reports of tornadoes in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and the Florida panhandle on Tuesday. Some of those reports may reference the same tornado, as several counties had multiple damage summaries listed.

The National Weather Service said one person was killed when a tornado destroyed a mobile home near Purvis, Mississippi. The St. James (Louisiana) Parish’s official Facebook page added that a tornado hit a mobile home park in Convent, killing two people and sending 30 to the hospital with injuries. The storm also damaged about 100 RVs and trailers there, officials wrote.

Elsewhere in Louisiana, the National Weather Service’s reports indicate tornadoes caused “significant damage” to a gym in Ascension Parish and “widespread structural damage” to homes and businesses in St. John the Baptist Parish. There were also several reports of winds knocking down trees and power lines, and one mention of a 120 mph gust near Mandeville.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency in seven parishes.

“I ask all Louisianans to pray for the victims of the terrible storms that touched down in Louisiana today and especially at the Sugar Hill RV Park in Convent,” he said in a statement.

Governors in Alabama and Mississippi also declared states of emergency ahead of the storms.

The National Weather Service is expecting strong-to-severe thunderstorms from New York to Florida on Wednesday, but said severe weather was most likely to hit northeast North Carolina and southeast Virginia. The service said there was a “moderate risk” of severe thunderstorms in those areas, the second-highest level on a five-tier system, and tornadoes were a possibility.

The service issued several flash flood watches and wind advisories throughout the mid-Atlantic and southeast. Residents in the storm’s path are encouraged to monitor their local forecasts.

Tornadoes possible as strong thunderstorms set sights on Gulf Coast

Forecasts are calling for severe thunderstorms along the Gulf Coast later today, according to the National Weather Service, some of which could generate tornadoes and powerful wind gusts.

The service’s Storm Prediction Center says there is a moderate risk, the second-highest level on a five-tier system, of severe thunderstorms in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle. It said the strongest storms could generate tornadoes, high winds and hail.

About 2.8 million people live in the “moderate risk” area, according to the center, a roughly 39,000-square-mile swath that includes cities like Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Montgomery, Alabama, and Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Other Southern states had lesser risks of severe weather, but areas from Texas to Tennessee and Georgia could see at least isolated storms.

The National Weather Service had not issued any watches or warnings for thunderstorms or tornadoes as of 9:30 a.m. CT on Tuesday. But wind advisories were issued in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana Mississippi and Alabama, warning of gusts of up to 45 mph later today.

The storm is also expected to produce heavy rain, and flash flood watches were issued in parts of Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.

Residents of the affected states should monitor their local forecasts.

Seperately, the National Weather Service issued winter storm watches in parts of Illinois and Michigan, where between 4 and 11 inches of snow was expected to fall tomorrow and Thursday.

Winter weather advisories were also issued for parts of Pennsylvania, New York and New England, where a wintry mix was expected tonight and Wednesday morning.

Tornadoes reported, flood warnings issued as powerful storm continues east

The powerful storm that shut down major highways and knocked out power to thousands of people across the United States continued to make its presence felt on Wednesday morning.

Portions of northern Wisconsin and Michigan remained under winter storm warnings and various flooding and flash flooding watches and warnings were issued in the mid-Atlantic and South as a storm that brought heavy snow and rain, high winds and tornadoes moved east.

According to the National Weather Service, double-digit snow totals have been recorded in 14 states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming — since Saturday, while wind gusts have surpassed 50 mph in eight states in the southwest, Rocky Mountains and Great Plains.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center received 15 reports of tornadoes in Alabama and Mississippi late Tuesday and early Wednesday. It’s possible that some of those are referring to the same tornado, as they stemmed from just six counties.

The accounts indicated that roofs were blown off houses in Beaverton, Alabama, and near Collinsville, Mississippi. Other reports said twisters toppled trees and damaged buildings.

Alabama Power said about 14,000 of its customers were without power early Wednesday morning, though was down to 6,400 a few hours later. Georgia Power reported about 1,700 customers near Atlanta were without power, and there were scattered outages in Mississippi.

The tornadoes and power outages were the latest impacts of the powerful storm, which had previously been blamed for thousands of power outages in California and Nebraska.

On Wednesday, National Weather Service showed rain stretching from Alabama all the way northeast to Maine. Heavy rain was falling in parts of Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, where flash flood watches were issued. Other flood watches or warnings are scattered along the east coast, including the Washington and Baltimore areas that were recently hit by a major blizzard.

The Weather Channel is calling this storm Winter Storm Kayla.

Those in the storm’s path are encouraged to monitor their local forecasts.

Parts of Mississippi have received more than seven inches of rain since Saturday, according to the National Weather Service, including 7.73 inches near New Hebron. Selected cities in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Tennessee have all recorded more than three inches of rain.

Snow totals were far larger.

Some mountain passes in Colorado received more than 30 inches of snow, including 41 inches at Coal Bank Pass and 40 inches near Wolf Creek Pass. Denver was hit by 22 inches of snow.

Heavy winds were expected to generate blizzard conditions in some parts of the midwest.

The Colorado Department of Transportation shut down several roads as a result of the storm, including a 300-mile stretch of Interstate 70 that began in Denver and stretched into Kansas, though most reopened later Tuesday. Some state highways remained closed in Kansas and Nebraska on Wednesday morning, their state transportation departments reported, and many roads in southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa were still completely covered with snow or ice.

Parts of Minnesota received more than a foot of snow, the National Weather Service reported.

The Minnesota State Patrol said that Interstate 90 and many other highways in the southern part of the state were closed on Tuesday, though they were open again on Wednesday morning. A spokesman tweeted that troopers responded to 449 accidents in a 24-hour period statewide.

Flight monitoring website FlightAware.com indicated that more than 240 flights to or from Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport were cancelled on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.

While some interstates reopened, others were still closed.

That included a 200-mile stretch of Interstate 80 in Nebraska that spanned from North Platte to Beaver Crossing, according to the state Department of Transportation.

The National Weather Service’s flood warnings and watches issued for the mid-Atlantic and South warned rivers and streams could breach their banks, which may cause additional road closures.

Chance of Imminent Tornado Outbreak Rises, Meteorologists Warn

Meteorologists warn that “an outbreak of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes” could imminently impact the Ohio, Tennessee and Mississippi valleys.

The National Weather Service issued a severe weather outlook on Wednesday afternoon, warning that a dangerous storm system capable of producing hurricane-force winds, several tornadoes and sizeable hail was trending across the central United States.

The National Weather Service issued tornado watches for parts of ten states: Louisiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Illinois, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, Alabama and Indiana.

Meteorologists said the outbreak is expected to occur this afternoon and last into tonight. The areas most at risk for “long-tracked tornadoes” are western Tennessee, northern Mississippi and eastern Arkansas.

The news comes on one of the busiest travel days of the year. AAA projects a record 100.5 million Americans would be traveling in the 12-day period that began this morning, more than 90 percent of them driving.

The Weather Channel uses its own index, called TOR:CON, to calculate the risk of a tornado occurring at any given time in a specified area. Initially, meteorologists said the areas most at risk only had a 50 percent chance of seeing a tornado, but that rose significantly Wednesday.

Meteorologists now warn northern Mississippi, northern Alabama and western Tennessee have an 80 percent chance of a tornado occurring within 50 miles. The channel said there was also a 70 percent chance of a tornado within 50 miles of eastern Arkansas, and at least a 50 percent chance of a tornado in a widespread region from the Florida panhandle to Kentucky, North Carolina and Missouri.

High winds were already being blamed for at least one death.

Arkansas television station KTHV reported an 18-year-old girl was killed after high winds uprooted a tree and sent it crashing through a home in Pope County.

Tornado Outbreak Could Disrupt Holiday Travel for Many

Weather experts are warning there’s a chance for a tornado outbreak this week.

The Weather Channel forecasts potent thunderstorms with the ability to generate tornadoes, damaging hail and high winds are expected to develop in the southern United States over the next couple of days. Meteorologists say that tornadoes are most likely to occur on Wednesday.

The Weather Channel uses its own index called TOR:CON to calculate the risk of a tornado at any given time in a specified area. The channel’s severe weather experts predict that there’s a 50 percent chance of tornadoes occurring within a 50-mile radius of any location in Mississippi, Louisiana, western Tennessee, eastern Arkansas and eastern Texas on Wednesday. The experts also warned there’s a chance — albeit a lesser one — of a tornado outside those boundaries.

The National Weather Service had yet to issue any tornado warnings or advisories on Tuesday.

If the forecasts pan out, the thunderstorms and tornadoes could disrupt many Christmas travel plans. Fox News reported that Dec. 23 is traditionally one of the year’s busiest days for air travel, and previous AAA research has indicated the day is also one of the most perilous times to drive.

This year, AAA predicts that a record 100.5 million Americans will make a journey of at least 50 miles between Dec. 23 and Jan. 3. More than 90 percent of them are expected to drive.

Big November Storm Brings Tornadoes and Snow to the Central United States

A second powerful storm system in a week is causing weather havoc, bringing blizzard conditions to Colorado and the potential for strong storms and tornadoes as the system charges east.  Currently there are severe storm and tornado watches for Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Louisiana.  

This afternoon and evening we expect a line of storms to intensify with a threat of damaging wind gusts and a few embedded tornadoes. There could also be supercells ahead of the line that may also acquire rotation and spawn tornadoes as the day continues. For this reason, severe weather expert Dr. Greg Forbes of The Weather Channel has raised the TOR:CON to 5 for Tuesday afternoon and evening in portions of northeast Louisiana, southeast Arkansas and western Mississippi. This means there is a 50 percent chance of a tornado within 50 miles of any location in that area.

The system was expected to track east through Tuesday and Wednesday, with rain, damaging winds and possible tornadoes from Texas to Mississippi on Tuesday, and a possible lingering severe threat as far east as Florida on Wednesday, according to The Weather Channel.

These thunderstorms will produce torrential rainfall which will raise the risk of flash flooding from the southern Plains to the Mississippi Valley