States along the Gulf Coast were under severe weather threats Monday as a storm system that spun up ferocious tornadoes across the central U.S. over the weekend – killing at least four people and inflicting widespread damage – moved over the region.
Powerful thunderstorms are forecast to wallop southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana through the morning, raising the threat of flash damaging wind gusts, hail and floods with up to 2 to 3 inches of rain falling per hour in some areas, according to the National Weather Service.
“Multiple major metropolitan areas including Houston and Lake Charles and their suburbs may see significant and life-threatening impacts as extreme rainfall advances toward the Gulf Coast,” the weather service warned. The worst of the heavy rain and thunderstorms should be off shore by Monday evening.
As of Monday morning, more than 84,000 homes and businesses were without power in Texas and Louisiana as the storms passed over the region, according to a USA TODAY database. Tens of thousands of homes had their power knocked out over the weekend as deadly storms ripped through the central U.S.
Recovery efforts underway after deadly storms ravage communities
Recovery efforts began on Monday in cities and communities across the central U.S. where a slow moving storm system unleashed that flattened entire streets, tossed cars and was responsible for the deaths of at least four people, including a 4-month-old baby, in Oklahoma.
More than 100 people were injured during the storms, Oklahoma’s Office of Emergency Management reported Sunday afternoon. The city of Sulphur, about 80 miles southeast of Oklahoma City, has had, “definitely the most damage since I’ve been governor,” said Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, whose first term began in 2019.
“I’ve seen a lot of damage, I’ve been around the state,” Stitt said at a news conference. “This is my sixth year. But what I saw in downtown Sulphur is unbelievable.”
Stitt declared a state of emergency to free up funds for the recovery effort, while federal authorities including FEMA were coordinating with state officials. Other states walloped by the storms include Nebraska and Iowa, where businesses and homes were completely destroyed.
4 people killed in Oklahoma tornadoes; over 100 injured
At least four people across Oklahoma were killed in tornadoes that ravaged rural communities and small towns throughout the state on Saturday.
The Oklahoma medical examiner has confirmed three storm-related fatalities: two in Holdenville, about 80 miles southeast of Oklahoma City, and one in Marietta, a small city near the Texas border. Hughes County authorities confirmed one of the victims was a 4-month-old child; The other victim there was an adult male.
Stitt on Sunday announced a fourth fatality in Sulphur, a city of some 5,000 people, where the downtown strip was torn through by a powerful tornado.
“We’ll do whatever we can to help put the pieces back together,” Stitt said at a news conference. “Thank goodness it was a downtown, that there wasn’t a lot of people here at 10:30 at night. You just can’t believe the destruction.”
Storms may bring more tornadoes, floods across central US
A low pressure system is expected to bring showers and thunderstorms across the Great Plains and Mississippi Valley on Tuesday, according to the weather service.
Very large hail, strong wind gusts and a few tornadoes are the primary threats, which may be felt in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, South Dakota and Minnesota.
Downstream of the storm system, isolated showers and thunderstorms are forecast to move through the Ohio and Tennessee valleys and into the East Coast on Tuesday, with a marginal risk for extreme weather.
Contributing: Jorge L. Ortiz and John Bacon, USA TODAY; Josh Dulaney and Jack Money, The Oklahoman
