Tens of thousands remain without electricity
- Cities like Dallas, Houston and Austin were all in the highest-risk areas as of Monday night.
- Flash flooding is also a concern in many of the same locations that are facing major storm risk.
Forecasters warn of dangerous storms for parts of the southern United States over the next three days and all forms of severe weather possible, including multiple tornadoes that have already made landfall. in Texas and Oklahoma.
Dallas, Houston and Austin were all in the highest-risk areas as of Monday night, Storm Forecast Center speak.
A tornado hit around 3:41 p.m. Monday in Jacksboro, Texas, a city of about 5,000 people northwest of Fort Worth, According to Accuweather. The tornado damaged mobile homes and trees near the city, The National Weather Service saidand NBC 5 reported Jacksboro High School and the city’s animal sanctuary were both damaged.
Many highways in Jack County have been closed due to fallen trees and debrisFort Worth County Texas Department of Transportation tweeted.
Another tornado hit Madisonville, about 100 miles from Houston, on Monday night, According to the National Weather Service.
A strong stream of thunderstorms moving toward the Interstate 35 corridor that runs between San Antonio and Austin broke into multiple tornadoes Monday afternoon.
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A confirmed tornado has hit the ground in Luling, between Austin and San Antonio, according to the National Weather Service. Another touched Round Rock, north of Austin, Williamson County Office of Emergency Management saidapart from one “big tornado” east of Round Rock, near Taylor.
Many homes and businesses were damaged by the Round Rock tornado, the police said.
After the tornado, Round Rock lost power on the east side of town, but officials don’t know how many people were affected.
“There could be some damage to some homes,” Round Rock Mayor Craig Morgan said around 6:30 p.m. Monday. “We are assessing the damage.”
Several cars were significantly damaged at the Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, KVUE fixed camera showed. They appeared to have been knocked over and the windows were shattered.
The city of Elgin, east of Austin, suffered heavy damage and several people were injured, according to officials. At least four people were injured, including a rescue of two from a collapsed structure, Elgin police said. One person was also taken to a hospital in Austin.
Elgin City Manager Bert Cunningham said the heaviest damage was on the east side of town, with up to four strandings reported.
Forecasters say Hurricanes can also produce hail the size of a ping pong ball.
The storm moved north into Oklahoma on Monday night, creating a tornado that caused “widespread damage” Accuweather said. The weather news service said the southern city of Kingston was hit by a quarter-mile-wide tornado around 6:30 p.m., creating a roadway of nearly 1,300 feet of damage. Oklahoma on Monday night, meaning weather conditions were ripe for more tornadoes to form.
“This is a volatile weather pattern, and we’ve seen these types of storm systems in the past produce severe weather and floods that are damaging, dangerous, and impactful.” AccuWeather Chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter said.
More than 50,000 customers were without power in Texas and Oklahoma as of Monday night, according to the website poweroutage.us
Forecasters say the instability could produce powerful and long-lived tornadoes, some of which can strike under cover of darkness.
The National Weather Service in Houston says that “today and tonight is still the time to stay up to date with the latest forecasts and make sure you have multiple ways to receive weather alerts. Evaluate your severe weather plan and make sure that you have a safe location to go to if an alert is issued for your area.”
Flash flooding is also a concern in many similar locations facing the threat of severe storms, Weather.com speak.
On Tuesday, the highest-risk area shifted eastward into Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, where Storm Forecast Center warned that “significant and damaging tornadoes are possible”. Cities like New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Jackson, Mississippi, are all in the highest-risk areas.
According to Weather.com, the threat of severe storms will linger through the morning and into the night, and heavy rain and flooding could also make landfall in the southern Ohio Valley.
The last day of this extreme weather outbreak will be Wednesday. States located in the highest-risk areas include much of the Carolinas, Georgia, and northern Florida. Strong winds, heavy hail and some tornadoes could hit these areas, Weather.com said.
Contributing: Roberto Villalpando, Claire Osborn, Tony Plohetski; Austin Chinese American