Thunderstorms with tornadoes hit the south-central region of the United States, causing massive damage. Reuters reported on the 26th that a tornado swept across Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, killing at least 13 people and causing power outages in hundreds of thousands of households.
Ray Sappington, the sheriff of Cooke County, informed Reuters that the casualties included two children aged two and five. He also mentioned that some homes had completely vanished, leaving a path of destruction that stretched for an additional 3 to 4 miles (approximately 4.8 to 6.4 km).
Footage of the local situation showed numerous homes and buildings in ruins or reduced to rubble, vehicles smashed, and trees uprooted.
According to PowerOutage.us, over 430,000 households across eight states from Texas to Ohio were without power. The scale of power outages by region includes 134,000 households in Missouri, 121,000 in Arkansas, 83,000 in Texas, 25,000 in Kentucky, 22,000 in Kansas, and 8,400 in Oklahoma.
In Denton County, north of Dallas, Texas, the tornado was reported to have injured several people and sent them to the hospital. However, the exact number of injured is unknown.
In Arkansas, several houses were destroyed, and at least three people were killed. An Arkansas official stated, “There have been multiple deaths due to the tornado, roads are blocked by debris, and trees and power lines have fallen, damaging homes and business places and causing numerous injuries.”
The tornado that swept across Texas and Oklahoma is currently moving northeast. As it combines with a larger storm, it is expected to cause more severe weather in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The National Weather Service warned, “Strong winds, hail, and tornadoes will be across much of the Ohio and Tennessee valleys.”
The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued a new tornado watch for southern Indiana, central Kentucky, and western and central Tennessee until 4 pm that day. Forecasters explained that this storm could produce giant hail up to 2 inches (approximately 5 cm) in diameter, about the size of a golf ball.
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