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Forecasters warned that dangerously high temperatures could also fuel the spread of wildfires. (Image credit: CBS News)
Tornadoes and strong winds have killed at least five people and injured dozens storm Strong winds pounded a rural community, destroying homes and leaving thousands of residents without power.
Cook County local law enforcement officials, Texasnear Oklahoma The Border Region Health Department confirmed the deaths, three of which were from the same family, on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, forecasters warned that dangerously high temperatures could fuel the spread of wildfires.
Earlier, authorities issued tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings for parts of both states, and South Texas broke record daytime temperatures and issued heat warnings for residents over the long holiday weekend.
Ohio It is reportedly now included in the expanded tornado risk area.
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The “high danger” area has expanded to southwest Ohio, which is under a greater threat of tornadoes. (Image source: NOAA)
Sheriff Ray Sappington gave an update on the search and rescue situation Sunday morning, saying the search and rescue efforts were “ongoing.”
“But we have started a search and rescue operation for the dead,” he added. “But we have confirmed five deaths,” warning that the death toll “could unfortunately rise”.
Brownsville and Harlingen, Texas, are close to the state and Mexico The temperatures have soared to 37°C and 38°C respectively, setting new record highs.
Red Flag Fire Warnings in West Texas and Across the U.S. New Mexico and parts of Oklahoma, Arizona and Colorado.
Very low humidity and winds gusting up to 60 mph created a dangerous combination of conditions, said Zach Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
“Very dry air, rising temperatures, strong winds and high fire risk over large areas … could cause fires to spread quickly or become uncontrollable,” he warned.
The risk area has expanded, with much of Ohio now facing a “slight risk” of severe storms. (Image source: NOAA)
In Arkansas, damaged buildings, uprooted trees and downed power lines were reported in the northwest of the state. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses reported power outages. Benton County Judge Barry Morin confirmed one death.
The devastation continues a month of deadly severe weather in the United States
Tornadoes in Iowa killed at least five people and injured dozens this week. The deadly tornadoes occurred during the worst tornado season in U.S. history and at a time when climate change is increasing the severity of storms around the world. April is the second-worst month for tornadoes in the United States.
A tornado struck northern Denton County, Texas, late Saturday, flipping a tractor-trailer and shutting down traffic on Interstate 35, Dawn Cobb, Denton County community relations director, said in a statement.
Cobb said the tornado was confirmed near Valley View and was moving east at 40 mph (64 kph), prompting the National Weather Service to issue a tornado warning for northern Denton County.
Cobb said the storm damaged homes, overturned RVs and downed power lines and trees throughout the area, including at Sanger, Pilot Point, Lake Ray Roberts and Isle du Bois State Park.
This week, Iowa residents faced a potential for severe tornadoes. (Image source: Getty)
Cobb said people injured in the storm were taken to local hospitals by ground and air ambulance, but it was not immediately clear how many people were injured in the county while a shelter was opened in Sanger.
The Denton Fire Department, about 37 miles (59.5 kilometers) north of Fort Worth, Texas, said in a post on X that emergency responders were rushing to the pier and “rescuers found multiple victims, some of whom were trapped.”
Police in Claremore, Oklahoma, announced on social media that the city, about 28 miles (45 kilometers) east of Tulsa, was “closed” due to storm damage that included downed power lines and trees and impassable roads.
The National Weather Service’s office in Norman, Oklahoma, said early Saturday via social media platform X that the warning was for northern Noble County and southern Kay County, north of Oklahoma City. “If you are in the path of this storm, take shelter immediately!” it said.
A follow-up post at 10:05 p.m. said the storm had left the area but warned that a storm was moving through North Texas and could affect parts of south-central Oklahoma.
At 10:24 p.m., the Fort Worth Weather Service issued a message warning residents of Ella and Valley View that they were in the direct path of a possible tornado and to seek shelter immediately. The Fort Worth office continued to post notices and shelter warnings, tracking the storm’s movement until midnight, and issued a separate severe thunderstorm warning, saying “golf ball-sized hail” was possible.
The Tulsa, Oklahoma, weather service warned on Channel X that a dangerous storm would move through the northeastern part of the state before 2 a.m. and issued severe thunderstorm warnings for the communities of Hugo, Boswell, Fort Towson, Granola, Foraker and Hurd.
Hot weather, especially in May, is a danger in South Texas, with heat indices expected to reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) in some areas over the weekend. Actual temperatures will be lower, though still in the triple-digit range, but humidity will make it feel even hotter.
The area is at the northern end of a heat dome that stretches from Mexico to South America, said Zach Taylor, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Taylor said Sunday looked like the hottest day, with temperatures in Austin, Brownsville, Dallas and San Antonio expected to set records since late May.
Brownsville and Harlingen, near the Texas-Mexico border, already set new records for a May 25 calendar day on Saturday — reaching 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius) and 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), respectively, according to the weather service.
April and May are tornado-prone months, especially in the Midwest. Last week, a deadly tornado struck Greenfield, Iowa, and other storms brought flooding and wind damage to other parts of the state.
The storm system responsible for severe weather is expected to move eastward as Memorial Day weekend approaches, bringing rain that could postpone Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 in Indiana and bring more severe storms to Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Kentucky.
Forecasters said the risk of severe weather will move to North Carolina and Virginia on Monday.
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