More than a dozen people were injured Monday as tornadoes tore through parts of Texas and Oklahoma, damaging a school, homes and businesses.
The same storm system was ready to move to Louisiana and Mississippi on Tuesday, with the risk of dangerous tornadoes and powerful winds.
In Texas on Monday, several tornadoes were reported along the Interstate-35 corridor, particularly in the Austin suburbs of Round Rock and Elgin and near Dallas-Fort Worth. Unconfirmed tornadoes caused damage in the Lake Texoma area of northern Texas and southern Oklahoma.
Tornadoes were burning on a wild day in Texas forest fires in the west and a blizzard warning was issued for the Texas Panhandle, where up to 9in of snow fell.
More than a dozen injuries have been reported in Texas, including 10 in Grayson County, about 60 miles north of Dallas, the county emergency management office said. A 73-year-old woman who lived in Sherwood Shores died in the storm, but officials did not immediately give details.
By Tuesday, the system had brought heavy rain and thunderstorms to parts of Texas and Arkansas, said Jeremy Grams, lead predictor with the Storm Prediction Center, in Norman, Oklahoma. A tornado clock was in effect for parts of Texas and Louisiana.
In Louisiana, high tide early Tuesday posed a threat to motorists on several roads, including a stretch of I-20 and several state highways after rain overnight, authorities said.
Deputies at the Caddo park church, which includes Shreveport, rescued three drivers from high water during the night, the sheriff’s office said.
The storms were expected to intensify throughout the day as temperatures rose, increasing the threat of tornadoes, hail and strong winds. Many of Louisiana and Mississippi were at moderate risk of severe weather, the second highest risk category issued by the Storm Prediction Center. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Jackson, Mississippi, were among the cities in danger.
“We’re still a little uncertain about how intense and how long some of these tornadoes may be, so we’ll just be below that threshold of greatest risk,” Grams said.
Forecasts have predicted intense tornadoes and widespread gusts, some hurricane force velocities of 75mph or more, and much of Mississippi, southern and eastern Louisiana, and western Alabama.
Louisiana federal and state authorities have warned thousands of hurricane survivors living in government-supplied mobile homes and recreational vehicle trailers to have an evacuation plan because the structures do not withstand the expected weather. More than 8,000 households live in such temporary neighborhoods, officials said.
The storm left misery in Texas. Damage to homes and businesses has occurred in at least a dozen counties, according to reports presented to the Storm Prediction Center.
Officials reported damage near Jacksboro, about 60 miles northwest of Fort Worth. There, photos posted on social media showed a storm ripping the wall and roof off parts of Jacksboro High School, particularly his gym.
“It brought tears to my eyes,” school principal Starla Sanders told WFAA-TV in Dallas.
Thirty miles northeast of Jacksboro, near Bowie, the damage was widespread. Four people were slightly injured.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said at a news conference Monday night in suburban Austin that he was grateful there were no reports of deaths.
“We know there are many people whose lives have been completely disrupted and people who have lost their homes,” Abbott said. “At the same time … it can also be a miracle, because even though there has been some devastating physical damage, to my knowledge, at the moment, there is no report of loss of life, which is just impressive.”
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