Powerful storms are barreling into the eastern half of the US, bringing with them a trail of destruction, causing widespread power outages, and claiming at least 21 lives. The storms, which began over Memorial weekend, have already left a path of devastation across Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, leaving hundreds injured and countless homes destroyed. As the weather system moves into Georgia, the Storm Prediction Center has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for over 7 million people in the state and South Carolina, warning of heavy rain and strong winds.
The storms, which killed people in four states, including Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kentucky, have also left over 187,000 customers without power in Kentucky, with similar numbers of outages reported in Alabama, West Virginia, Missouri, and Arkansas. The Indianapolis 500 was delayed by four hours due to strong storms, forcing officials to evacuate over 125,000 race fans, while Oklahoma city officials declared the town of Claremore, near Tulsa, “shut down” due to inaccessible roads and downed power lines.
The hardest hit areas were northern Texas and western Arkansas, where multiple reports of wind damage and tornadoes were reported. In Cooke County, Texas, seven people lost their lives, including two children, in a tornado that tore through a rural area. Over 200 homes and structures were destroyed, and winds reached an estimated 135mph, according to officials.
US Deadly StormsHugo Parra, who rode out the storm at a truck stop in Farmers Branch, Texas, described the scene as “apocalyptic.” He credited a firefighter for saving their lives, saying “the best way to describe this is the wind tried to rip us out of the bathrooms.” Kevin Dorantes, who survived the storm with his family, recalled the terrifying experience of waiting in a windowless bathroom, saying “it was like the wind was trying to tear us apart.”
The storms also claimed lives in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kentucky, with the affected areas still recovering from the devastating flooding and damage. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has issued its highest hurricane season forecast, predicting eight to 13 hurricanes and 17 to 25 named storms. This comes as tornado activity has been on the rise, with the second-highest number of tornadoes recorded in April and at least five people killed by tornadoes in Iowa last week.
According to Harold Brooks, a senior scientist at the National Severe Storms Laboratory, the persistent pattern of warm, moist air is to blame for the string of tornadoes over the past two months. As the storms continue to move through the eastern US, officials are urging people to take precautions and heed warnings of severe weather.