Strong storms, including tornadoes and hail, ravaged the central U.S. on Thursday, resulting in at least three fatalities, numerous injuries, destroyed homes, and widespread power outages.
Two deaths occurred in Cole, Oklahoma, located 25 miles south of Oklahoma City, while another person, injured by the tornado, later died. Deputy Sheriff Scott Gibbons of McClain County confirmed the fatalities and mentioned a range of injuries, from minor to severe.
The names of the deceased have not been released. Shawnee, on the eastern outskirts of Oklahoma City, also suffered significant damage.
State Department of Emergency Management official Benny Fulkerson reported substantial damage in Shawnee following an inspection by Governor Kevin Stitt. The focus on Thursday was on assessing the damage after a night of searching for victims and survivors.
The National Weather Service issued tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings across Oklahoma, Kansas, and Iowa on Wednesday evening, urging residents to seek shelter.
Emergency crews assess the widespread damage in Shawnee, Oklahoma, where severe storms demolished homes and left residents without power.The storms toppled power lines and trees and severely damaged homes and buildings, including Oklahoma Baptist University and a local airport in Shawnee.
At the height of the storm, over 23,000 customers were without electricity in Oklahoma. KFOR-TV reported that residents south of Oklahoma City were trapped in underground shelters, with some mailboxes blown away. Emergency crews used GPS to locate addresses, and two Cole residents survived the storm unharmed by sheltering in a manhole.
The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center forecasted more storms with potential tornadoes from Texas to Wisconsin on Thursday night.
A mix of supercells and storm clusters was expected, with possible tornadoes across eastern Texas moving northward to Arkansas and Missouri. Large hail and potential tornadoes were also anticipated from eastern Missouri to Wisconsin.
This spring’s storms have spawned deadly tornadoes across the South, Midwest, and Northeast. An April 1 storm produced tornadoes that killed at least 32 people from Arkansas to Delaware, followed by another tornado that claimed five lives in Missouri. Late March storms left 26 dead in Mississippi and Alabama, carving a destructive path through the Deep South.