Severe storms, with reports of at least one tornado and damaging winds, are tearing through parts of Oklahoma and Texas, leaving a trail of damage Tuesday morning and threatening more as blizzard conditions pile up in several more states to the north
It’s all part of a giant winter storm system moving into the central United States after wrapping around the West over the weekend. About 25 million people from Texas to Mississippi are under the threat of severe storms Tuesday, including tornadoes. And about 15 million people, largely in the north-central United States, are under winter weather warnings or advisories Tuesday morning, with power outages a key concern.
Two tornado watches are in effect: one for parts of the Dallas area and southern Oklahoma until 11 a.m. CT; and one for parts of Arkansas, southeast Oklahoma, and east Texas until 5 p.m. CT.
A line of severe thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes and large hail struck the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex by mid-morning.
Sirens sounded around 9:30 a.m. ET at Dallas Fort-Worth International Airport. “We’re in the middle of a tornado warning here on the western side of the Dallas-Fort Worth area,” CNN’s Ed Lavandera said from the airport, “where essentially everything has stopped here (since) this line A very strong line of severe storms is beginning to make its way across North Texas.”
Damage as of Tuesday morning includes:
• Wayne, Okla.: A suspected tornado in that city left “buildings blown off their foundations (and) trees snapped like branches” early Tuesday, CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam said. No injuries were reported, but Wayne is without power and family structures, outbuildings and barns are damaged, according to McClain County Emergency Management.
• Outside Dallas: Wind damage was reported Tuesday morning west of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, including blown tractor-trailers near the towns of Millsap and Decatur and barns sustained damage near the town of Jacksboro, the National Weather Service said. .
More severe storms with tornado capability are expected in the Gulf Coast region on Tuesday and Wednesday as the complex system of snow or rain sweeps across the central United States from north to south.
In the central and northern plains and the Upper Midwest, blowing snow and/or freezing rain could ruin travel and threaten power outages through Thursday.
Here’s what different regions can expect in the coming days:
• An “enhanced risk” for severe storms Tuesday extends from eastern Texas to northern Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi, with tornadoes, large hail and damaging straight-line winds possible.
• Blizzard conditions are expected Tuesday and Wednesday across parts of the central and northern Plains, with snow at times expected to fall at rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour amid gusty winds of 40 mph.
• The greatest threat for flash flooding will be Tuesday through Wednesday from the lower Mississippi Valley to the central Gulf Coast, Tennessee Valley and southern Appalachians.
• Freezing rain and sleet will be possible through Wednesday in the Upper Midwest.
The storm, which hit the western US for the first time with much-needed snow and rain, prompted winter storm warnings from the Canadian border to Mexico’s border with New Mexico.
In Denver, up to 5 inches of snow is expected Tuesday, with wind gusts of 50 mph possible.
Blizzard warnings extended Tuesday from parts of Montana and Wyoming to northeastern Colorado, western Nebraska and South Dakota, where severe and life-threatening conditions are expected.
Snowfall through Wednesday morning could generally be between 10 and 18 inches across the central and northern Plains and upper Midwest. Some areas within the blizzard warning areas, particularly western South Dakota, eastern Wyoming and northwestern Nebraska, could get up to 24 inches of snow, with winds strong enough to to bring down tree branches and cause power outages, the Weather Prediction Center said.
“We’re not expecting a quick burst of snow here,” National Weather Service meteorologist Brandon Wills in Cheyenne, Wyoming, said Monday evening. The snow will “accumulate the highest in northern Nebraska, and it’s going to blow like crazy because of the high winds we’re going to have as well,” he said.
Interstates in South Dakota could become impassable amid blizzard conditions, prompting road closures across the state, the South Dakota Department of Transportation warned Monday.
Ice storm warnings were issued for parts of eastern South Dakota, southwestern Minnesota, and western Iowa. Up to two-tenths of an inch of ice could accumulate in some of those areas, forecasters said.
In Anchorage, Alaska, an “unprecedented amount of snow” has caused schools to be closed for four days, closing the University of Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Pacific University on Monday.
“The snowstorms that have hit Anchorage over the past week are historic in nature, bringing 30 to 45 inches of snow to our city,” Hans Rodvik, a spokesman for the mayor’s office in Anchorage, said Monday in a told CNN.
Meanwhile, the southern end of the storm threatens to bring tornadoes.
A tornado watch is in effect this Tuesday morning for parts of Texas and southern Oklahoma until 11am CT. The main threats are tornadoes, hail and wind gusts up to 70 mph.
An increased risk of severe weather (level 3 out of 5) was issued Tuesday for East Texas and the lower Mississippi River Valley, with the main threats including powerful tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail. Baton Rouge, Shreveport and Lafayette, Louisiana are part of the threatened area, as is Jackson, Mississippi.
“My main concern with tornadoes will be after dark,” CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said Tuesday. “We have really short days this time of year, so by 5 or 6 o’clock, it’s going to be dark out there. Spotters aren’t as accurate when it’s dark. Tornado warnings are kind of slow; if you’re sleeping , you may not have them. So that’s the real danger of this storm.”
A mild risk zone (Level 2 of 5) surrounded this area, which stretched from eastern Texas and southern Oklahoma to southern Arkansas and much of the rest of Louisiana and central mississippi This includes Dallas and New Orleans.
Tuesday also brings a slight risk of excessive rainfall in parts of Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, with 2 to 4 inches of rain and flash flooding possible, the Weather Prediction Center said.
On Wednesday, the threat of severe weather is focused primarily on the Gulf Coast, with tornadoes and damaging winds possible in parts of southern Louisiana, Mississippi, southwestern Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle, the Storm Prediction Center.