A round of severe weather swept across the Plains Monday night, killing at least two people in Oklahoma and wiping out homes in multiple locations of the Sooner State.
The storms spawned a reported 23 tornadoes, according to the Storm Prediction Center, and more than 90 hail reports. On Tuesday, crews from the National Weather Service will survey tornado-damaged areas and determine how many twisters were in progress on Monday.
Southwest of Wynnewood, Oklahoma, a survey crew confirmed at least EF3 damage with the tornado that was in progress near Katie, the first confirmed tornado from Monday.
Late Monday afternoon, the storms turned deadly. Chester Barnes, 76, was killed in his rural Garvin County home when a violent tornado touched down south of Oklahoma City, according to KFOR.com.
“He was a good man, a real good man,” neighbor Dave Buckner told KFOR.com.
Authorities confirmed a second death in Johnston County near Connerville, according to the Associated Press. KXII.com identified the victim as 76-year-old Jackie Brooks.
Initial reports described “major damage” west of Interstate 35. As one of the large tornadoes turned toward the freeway, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol closed I-35 near Wynnewood for 15 minutes, the AP also said.
In Nebraska, a Nehawka man survived a tornado after being thrown against a tree Monday night, KETV.com reported. Robin Stoll suffered minor injuries during the scary ordeal that destroyed his home, the AP said.
“It picked me up, threw me against a tree,” Stoll told KETV.com. “I just held on.”
A tornado was also reported just outside of Odessa, Nebraska. The NWS reported hail exceeding the size of softballs accompanied the storms. According to the Nebraska State Patrol, home and property damage was seen near 84th and Highway 2 near Lincoln.
In Saline County, Arkansas, an EF1 tornado was confirmed in Arkanslaw and Avilla, according to the Little Rock office of the NWS.
A rope tornado was spotted in Guthrie County, Iowa, Monday evening, according to a National Weather Service report. The tornado was seen near 200th Street and Hickory Avenue.
Hail as big as softballs was also reported in this round of severe weather, and some of the largest documented hail fell near Lincoln, Nebraska.
The complex of storms also caused some localized flooding in Texas late Monday. The emergency management in Lamar County reported floodwaters reaching the windows of a car at the 500 block of Lamar Ave in Paris.
Published:
May 10 2016 12:45 PM EDT
By Sean Breslin
weather.com
A tornado rips through a residential area after touching down south of Wynnewood, Oklahoma on May 09, 2016. (JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images)
