Severe storms have been wreaking havoc across the central United States, with a tornado destroying parts of two communities in Oklahoma and large hail falling in Kansas. A rare “high risk” severe storm threat was issued by the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center for the region, warning of intense thunderstorms with hurricane-force winds that could continue all night. By Monday evening, at least 15 tornadoes had been reported in various states, including Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Tennessee. Baseball-sized hail fell in Kansas, and more severe weather, possibly including additional tornadoes, was expected.
In the small city of Barnsdall, located in northeast Oklahoma, a tornado took out about a third of the city, causing destruction to buildings and injuring multiple people who were hospitalized. The tornado also lifted the roof off a nursing home in Barnsdall. Additionally, the storm destroyed power lines along its path and left entire towns without electricity. Bartlesville was also hit by the tornado, with the worst damage on the southwest and northeast sides of the city. Emergency responders were rescuing trapped individuals in a Hampton Inn and recovering downed power lines.
More than 6 million people across parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, and Texas were under tornado watches. Forecasters warned of a particularly dangerous situation in Oklahoma and issued tornado warnings for Oklahoma City and the surrounding area. The last time a high-risk level was predicted was in March 2023, with 131 tornadoes across 11 states from the Midwest to the South. Forecasters raised the risk level as conditions across the Plains evolved, increasing their confidence that significant tornadoes could occur along potentially long paths.
The severe weather risk also included a potential flood risk, with heavy rain expected over parts of eastern Kansas, Nebraska, western Iowa, and Missouri as a front moved out of the Rockies. The Weather Prediction Center warned of a slight risk of excessive rainfall over parts of the Central Plains and Middle Mississippi Valley, which could lead to flash flooding in urban areas, roads, small streams, and low-lying areas. The current threat of severe weather was ongoing, with more storms forecast for the next few days, primarily on Wednesday from Texas to Ohio.
This severe weather follows a week after more than two dozen tornadoes were reported and at least five people were killed in Oklahoma and Iowa, including an infant. The Weather Service described the environment in southern Kansas and into Oklahoma as being similar to past higher-end severe weather events, potentially leading to long-track tornadoes and large hail. Anyone in the affected areas was advised to have a safety plan in place as the storms continued to pose a threat to human life and property.
