Tornado reports were reported across several states and the storm is now threatening more severe weather
A Storm Prediction Center for McCurtain County, OK, with Heavy Winds and Large Hail, which could lead to Tornadoes, Winds, and Intense Winds
A sudden onset of cold weather amid unseasonably warm conditions had been forecast to create the biggest tornado threat the US has seen in more than five months.
At least one person is dead in McCurtain County, Oklahoma, where significant storm damage was reported, according to county emergency manager Cody McDaniel.
Nine tornadoes formed in Texas, and four in Arkansas and one in Oklahoma, according to a preliminary accounting done by the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center.
The total number will likely increase in the afternoon of Saturday and not be known for several days until local NWS offices conduct damage surveys.
There has been some damage and injuries in Lamar County where Paris is the county seat.
A woman in Choctaw County, Oklahoma, was injured by a falling tree as she was trying to get to a storm shelter, Lewis Collins, a volunteer at the Choctaw Office of Emergency Management, told CNN. It’s unclear whether a tornado had occurred in that area.
The risk of tornadoes, large hail, and straight line winds from eastern Texas to southwestern Mississippi is forecast by the Storm Prediction Center.
A tornado watch is in effect for much of western and southern Alabama until 4 a.m. CST and for parts of Georgia, Florida and Alabama until noon eastern.
In addition to intense tornadoes, large hail bigger than a golf ball is also possible according to the Storm Prediction Center.
The main threat is going to be damaging winds after the storms align and travel into Arkansas and Louisiana.
There will be winter weather advisories in place for parts of Texas and Oklahoma during Tuesday and into Wednesday. There is a slight risk of excessive rainfall in place from eastern Texas to northwest Louisiana Wednesday as there is a risk of heavy rain in eastern Texas.
Rainfall is much needed in this region as recent drought has cause the Mississippi River to reach record low levels, impacting shipping and the supply chain.
“You can see that while the spring months are our busiest time climatologically, there is a secondary increase in tornado activity in November,” the National Weather Service in New Orleans said.
It is difficult to ensure that residents are warned of overnight tornadoes because they can be hard to see and move quickly through an area.
“One of the most important features of your severe weather safety plans is to have a reliable means to receive severe weather warnings,” the weather service in New Orleans said.
The death toll of Friday’s tornadoes in El Paso, Texas, and a dozen others in Wise and Little Rock counties
In Texas, authorities in Lamar County said at least 50 homes were damaged or destroyed and 10 people were treated at one hospital, including two with critical injuries. There were no deaths immediately reported.
Several communities in Louisiana reported destruction with roofs ripped off, homes splintered, debris strewn, and cars flip over. More than 50,000 customers were left without power in Louisiana and Mississippi after ferocious winds downed power lines. Early Thursday the number was less than 15,000.
A tornado was spotted in the vicinity of Wrightsville, just south of Little Rock, according to the National Weather Service.
The death toll from Friday’s tornados in Texas and Oklahoma rose to at least one, as dozens of homes and buildings were destroyed and two people were injured.
Another two people were injured, and homes and businesses were damaged, in Wise County Tuesday morning, northwest of Fort Worth, county officials said. Two people were hurt, one by the wind and the other by flying debris, officials said.
“Search & rescue teams and generators forwarded to the Idabel area,” he sad. “Storms hit in Bryan, Choctaw, and Le Flore counties, among others. Additional flash flooding in some areas.”
The department of emergency management and homeland security encourages people to report storm damage on the internet.
Weather Forecasts for McCurtain County, Tex., after a Tornado Impacts Northern Plains, Monday through Thursday
“There was total destruction on the south and east sides of Idabel,” Steven Carter, an emergency management coordinator for McCurtain County, told the Texarkana Gazette.
Judge Bell declared a disaster in the area to get federal assistance and funding. Bell’s declaration said at least two dozen people were injured across the county.
Powderly, which is west of Idabel and 120 miles northeast of Dallas, was one of the hardest hit communities. Both Powderly and Idabel are near the Texas-Oklahoma border.
The Lamar County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management said the tornado touched down shortly after 4 p.m. and traveled north-northeast through the communities of Hopewell, Caviness, Beaver Creek and Powderly.
Randi Johnson, chief of the Powderly Volunteer Fire Department, was aware that someone had been killed but didn’t know many other details.
An atmospheric river event will bring lots of rain to the west this weekend, which will cause hazardous weather to millions of people across the country.
There is a winter storm expected to hit the Northern Plains late Monday through Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. It’s possible for travel to be difficult Monday through Wednesday because of heavy snow, reduced visibility, and drifting snow.
“A plethora of hazards are forecast, with heavy rain and strong winds expected to be the most widespread impact. Widespread rainfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches are anticipated, with locally higher amounts throughout the coastal ranges and over northern California,” the National Weather Service says.
There is a chance of high gusts in the valleys, 50 mph for coastal areas and even higher gusts in exposed coastal headlands, mountaintops, and ridges.
Light freezing rain is possible in the northern regions of the mid-Atlantic, while snowfall totals of 6 to 12 inches are forecast for much of the Northeast.
Travel will be very difficult in these areas if not impossible due to slick roads and whiteout conditions. Power outages will also be possible due to very strong winds.
“The details regarding the areas most at risk from tornadoes will become clearer as the event approaches and smaller-scale trends become more evident,” Elliott said.
The National Weather Service office in Rapid City, South Dakota, said travel through the area will be nearly impossible Tuesday and Wednesday, and possibly into Thursday.
The highway was closed in the west because of high wind and heavy snow. The Nebraska State Patrol, which was called to deal with several crashes and jackknifed semitrailers overnight, urged people to stay off the roads.
In Minnesota the National Weather Service issues various winter advisories, including a winter storm warning and an ice storm warning. The Minnesota Department of Transportation said in a tweet Monday, “Challenging winter weather could impact travel statewide all week.”
The University of Alaska Anchorage and the Alaska Pacific University were shut down on Monday due to an unprecedented amount of snow.
Three tornadoes in Tennessee, and a dozen more, occurred in Wayne, Oklahoma, early Tuesday morning, according to the National Weather Service
The areas need the water and have seen some relief from the arid conditions. This week, Tennessee went from being at 98% of the state under the lowest level of dry conditions to being at 42%.
No injuries were reported after a confirmed EF2 tornado knocked out power and damaged homes in Wayne, Oklahoma, early Tuesday.
According to Doug Speheger, a tornado was rated an EF-2 by the National Weather Service. It was likely on the ground for about two to four minutes, according to the weather service.
The National Weather Service confirmed five tornadoes across Texas on Tuesday, but there could have been a dozen more.
There aren’t many people traveling right now at the Flying J truck stop in Nebraska, according to the manager. He said he got to work before the roads were closed, but likely won’t be able to get back home Tuesday. “I can see to the first poles outside the doors, but I can’t see the rest of the lot right outside. I will probably get a motel room tonight.
A tornado devastated Keithville, Louisiana, killing a boy and his mother with a pair of ankles in the aftermath of a southern Utah winter storm
The South Dakota Department of Public Safety tweeted Monday: “This is a ‘we are not kidding’ kind of storm.” People were urged to stay home and stock up on essentials.
“It will be a busy week while this system moves across the country,” said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s headquarters in Maryland.
In northern Utah, a tour bus crashed Monday morning as snow and frigid temperatures blanketed the region. The bus flipped onto its side after the driver lost control and switched lanes, the Highway Patrol said. The Highway Patrol said 23 passengers were injured, including some seriously.
In Louisiana, a path of destruction was left by a severe weather system that killed at least three people and injured dozens of others, as violent tornadoes touched down, collapsing homes, and turning debris into projectiles.
Additionally, a boy and his mother were found dead after a tornado destroyed their home Tuesday in the northwestern Louisiana community of Keithville, the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office said. The mother and son’s bodies were found hours apart, far from where their house once stood, officials said.
The mayor of Gretna, which is across the river from New Orleans, said that 5,000 structures were damaged by the tornado.
Nolan told CNN that it was the worst damage he had seen in 17 years.
Winter Weather Alerts in the Haile Community of South Dakota: Precipitation, Icing and Frostbite during a High Line Tornado
Nolan said that several people were injured while traveling in cars and that the first responders were still looking for them.
More than 40 million people from Texas to West Virginia are under winter weather alerts Monday as a system threatens heavy precipitation, significant icing and bitter cold, with roads due to be treacherous and quick frostbite possible in places.
Several transmission highline towers were damaged in the Haile community in northern Louisiana. The National Weather Service in Shreveport has reported that one of the towers has been knocked over.
Tiyia Stringfellow told CNN she was inside the apartment when the tornado hit. She and her boyfriend and two children all made it through without injury.
The “one-in-five-year storm” worked its way through parts of Nebraska Tuesday and is expected to linger in the area through the end of the week, NWS metrologist Bill Taylor said.
The wintry weather conditions caused a closure of both east and westbound lanes of Interstate 90 from Rapid City to the Wyoming state line on Tuesday, state transportation officials said.
Early Tuesday, sleet and freezing rain were falling across north and central Texas, with the NWS predicting that road conditions would become even more “treacherous” as the day wore on.
More than 1,300 flights in the US were canceled Tuesday, and 1,900 were delayed, according to FlightAware. Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is one of the airports with the majority of the flight disruptions.
Severe Weather Forecast for Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle in the Light of Thursday’s Hurricane Oscillation
The Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma says severe weather is still possible for Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday.
Trent Kelley is the deputy director of Grapevine Parks and Recreation and he said that a possible tornado blew off the roof of the city’s service center.
All roads in the northeastern section of the state were closed. The severe weather in the ranching region could also threaten livestock. Santomaso said that extreme winds can push livestock through barriers as they follow a gale’s direction.
National Weather Service meteorologist Melissa Dye in the Twin Cities said this is a “long duration event” with snow, ice and rain through Friday night. Minnesota was expecting a lull Wednesday, followed by a second round of snow.
The deaths attributed to storm-related events include a 56-year-old woman who died after a tornado hit her home in the Killona area in St. Charles Parish, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.
A tornado watch went into effect in southern Alabama, the Florida Panhandle and southwest Georgia until midnight Thursday. Several tornadoes are still likely as well as quarter sized hail and powerful wind gusts up to 65 mph.
There is a risk for severe weather in Florida, coastal Georgia and coastal Carolinas because of the storms that are expected to weaken slightly. Cities like Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Savannah and Charleston could see damaging winds, large hail and isolated tornadoes, Shackelford said.
CNN News: Nationwide massive tornadoes in southern Louisiana impacted by a massive storm on the west bank of the Mississippi River with five deaths
The back door was broken after the wind was so heavy. The lights went off and we couldn’t hear anything else.
She said that she and her daughter crawled into a hallway because of shattered glass and water leaking through the roof. They decided to take shelter in their bathroom.
We just got in the tub and we cried together. We just kept praying and I just kept calling on Jesus,” Andrews said. Her family survived the storm but were left with damage to their home.
In the Algiers area of New Orleans, four residents were taken to area hospitals as the storm battered the area on the west bank of the Mississippi River, Collin Arnold, director of the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness told CNN. At least one house collapsed in the area and other residences and businesses have been impacted, Arnold added.
Officials in St. Bernard Parish also reported “major damage” in Arabi, where a tornado touched down, they said, leaving much of the area without power.
Search and rescue teams will be available throughout the night in Arabi. Ten people have been rescued due to severe weather, but no serious injuries or deaths have been reported, Pohlmann added.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/15/weather/nationwide-massive-storm-tornadoes-thursday/index.html
The Multiple Hazard Storm that Breaks Memphis and Jackson Records in Memphis and Washington D.C., Breaking 35 High Temperature Records on Tuesday
Cindy DeLucca Hernandez thought she could beat the storm while driving home after picking up her 16-year-old son from school. She faced a tornado on the journey.
“We started seeing debris and we got hit a couple of times by it and that’s when I put the car in reverse,” she said. Her boy made it home safe.
“Power lines down, homes severely damaged, rooftops ripped off,” he said in a video shared online describing the scene. “It is an extensive damage scene and a long path of destruction here on the west bank.”
Iberia Medical Center “sustained a significant amount of damage,” police Capt. Leland Laseter made a comment on the social networking site. CNN has asked about it from the medical center.
The New Iberia Police Department reported on Facebook that two tornadoes touched down in the city, with several homes damaged and reports of people trapped in the Southport Subdivision.
There were homes and businesses damaged when an E2 tornado struck Wise County. Video showed homes splintered, with roofs ripped off in Decatur.
The multi-hazard storm that battered California with deadly floods has already caused at least 120 storm reports over the past two days, as it barreled across the country, shifting to the South and Southeast.
In Tennessee, Memphis and Jackson both saw record-breaking rainfall Tuesday. Memphis received 3.84 inches, smashing its previous daily record of 2.13 inches set in 1949. Jackson got 2.48 inches on Tuesday, beating a previous daily record of 1.69 inches in 1951.
An extremely warm and moist air mass over the East Coast and Southeast helped fuel the severe weather outbreak. On Tuesday the mercury hit 81 degrees in Baton Rouge, 77 degrees in Wilmington, and 69 degrees in Washington D.C., breaking 35 daily high temperature records.
A Californian Snowfall Event During a Wet and Dry Season, and the Implications for Road Safety in the Garland County School District
The Garland County Sheriff’s Office reported that there were multiple buildings of a school that sustained damage when trees and powerlines fell.
“The school was currently in session at the time, however all students have been accounted for and reports of no injury,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a release.
I am happy that my husband and I are alive. Sylvia Hester said that material things can be replaced but their lives cannot, and they just thank God that they are here.
In Louisiana, citizens were told to stay off the roads on Monday because of the severe weather which caused trees and power lines to fall.
While those expected rainfall amounts wouldn’t normally have major impacts, the state recently received a lot of rain that left soils saturated and susceptible to flooding and landslides, the Weather Service said.
The Department of Water Resources released the results of the first snow survey in the Sierra Nevada mountains, showing that the current snowpack is well ahead of average for this time of year.
“The significant Sierra snowpack is good news but unfortunately these same storms are bringing flooding to parts of California,” DWR Director Karla Nemeth said in a press release. “This is a prime example of the threat of extreme flooding during a prolonged drought as California experiences more swings between wet and dry periods brought on by our changing climate.”
Dangerously bitter cold air also settled in behind the arctic front as it slowly moved through the West over the weekend, with more than 15 million people under wind chill warnings Monday morning.
When ice accumulates over a quarter of an inch, the weather service issues ice storm warnings. On Wednesday, the warning areas are expected to see up to or more than a half of an inch of freezing rain.
In Austin, freezing rain could begin as early as Monday morning. It will be possible at night and in the morning. The icing on Dallas is expected to be one-tenth to a quarter of an inch.
There are icy bridges and slick roads in the Texas area on Tuesday, according to the weather service. Drivers were asked to watch out for patches of black ice and slippery roadways.
Sleet, freezing rain and ice had also moved north into southern Oklahoma and parts of Arkansas, where hazardous road conditions were making driving dangerous and at least one accident was reported. The governor activated winter weather support teams from the Arkansas National Guard.
While the exact cause of the collision it is not known, excessive blowing snow and winds kept visibility down when it happened – even at times when no new snow was falling. I-80 areas saw between 1 and 5 inches of snow, with isolated areas along the highway seeing even higher amounts.
There were hundreds of car crashes in Texas on Tuesday due to unsafe travel conditions. Emergency workers responded to people suffering from hypothermia or those injured after slipping on ice.
“As we mobilize the resources Texans need to stay safe, I encourage everyone to remain weather aware, check DriveTexas.org before traveling, and heed the guidance from local officials,” Abbott said in a statement.
Technicolor and the Eldorado Corridor: Detection, Public Safety, and Online Learning after a 19-Year-old Truck Accident
Additionally, many schools and colleges in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas were planning to shut down or switch to online learning Tuesday, the Associated Press reported.
A 49-year-old woman was killed this week when she lost control of her truck on an icy road north of Eldorado, the Texas Department of Public Safety told CNN on Wednesday.
“Before we got to I-20, we also helped a few other cars who were stuck on the streets,” Muniz said. “We eventually came across the standstill on Interstate 20 and helped an additional 20 trucks.”
“Everyone was very grateful for our help, especially the truck drivers. Some even asked if we were going to charge them for the help, but we told them we were just there to help.”
In this region, the weather service warned of hazardous or impossible travel conditions, and urged residents to prepare for tree limb breakage and power outages.
The Texas National Guard is prepared to help stranded motorists, clear roadways and provide welfare checks, Gov. Greg Abbott said. Texas Parks and Wildlife has many people ready for search and rescue operations.
Gov. Tim Walz directed the state’s National Guard, the transportation department and the state patrol to be prepared to respond storm impacts, he said on Twitter.
Flight cancellations and the power outage.us in Southern California triggered by a strong storm and an expected North-South derecho
More than 700 flights scheduled for Wednesday in the US have been canceled, according to the tracking site FlightAware. Denver had nearly 200 cancellation and Minneapolis had more than 300 cancellation.
Farther west, strong winds from the powerful storm tore down power lines, knocking out power to more than 140,000 homes and businesses in California, where the reported outages occurred in the northern counties of the state including San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz, according to the tracking site Poweroutage.us.
Sioux Falls, South Dakota: There has been up to 4 inches of snow in the state, and there is also the possibility of snowfall up to 16 inches, as well as gusts of 45 mph.
More than half of the 66 counties of South Dakota will be closing their executive branch offices on Wednesday, and the governor is planning for employees to work remotely. Is 29 and 90 closed partially on Tuesday night to be prepared for the snow.
Eastern Wyoming College announced the closure of its main campus. The Natrona County school district in Casper will conduct a virtual learning day Wednesday due to hazardous weather and road conditions throughout the area, the district said.
A wind event will be caused by the storm system that brought warnings to Southern California over the weekend.
The derecho was expected to develop in the afternoon and evening. A derecho is a straight-line windstorm associated with a group of severe storms.
The Last Loss of a Storm in New Orleans, Texas, Reached to a Level 4 out of 5 on December 14, 2022
This is the first Level 4 out of 5 risk issued this year, the last was on December 14, 2022, when a tornado ripped through New Orleans.
A squall line will eventually evolve from the storms, according to the National Weather Service. Adding that embedded tornadoes within this squall line will still be possible as the storms track east.
“Damaging wind potential will not be confined to the thunderstorms themselves,” the Norman weather service office said. “Very strong winds and potentially damaging winds will be possible even in the general wind field after the storms move through.”
Thunderstorms will begin to pop up in central and eastern Texas Thursday morning that will strengthen as they meet with unusually warm air to the east. Temperatures have been near record high levels for this time of year across the Southeast this week and this warm air will add fuel for the storms.
The threat of storms will fall to a Level 2 out of 5 on Monday over the Ohio River Valley. This includes Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and Louisville.
