Severe storms that spawned destructive tornadoes leave 8 dead across the Central US
By CNN Meteorologists Chris Dolce, Mary Gilbert
(CNN) — Severe storms brought damaging tornadoes to parts of the central US Thursday and Friday, shredding buildings into piles of debris and killing at least eight people.
The threat continues in Arkansas and Texas, with some active tornado-producing storms early Saturday, leading to a tornado watch there and in parts of Louisiana until 9 a.m. ET.
In southwestern Michigan Friday afternoon, four people were killed and others injured as severe thunderstorm activity kicked up a destructive tornado.
Three were killed and 12 others injured when the tornado ripped through the Union Lake area, the Branch County Sheriff’s Office told The Associated Press. Several people were sent to the hospital, the AP said, although the extent of their injuries was not immediately clear.
Another person was killed and several others injured after the tornado touched down in nearby Cass County, officials said in a news release. Several large structures were damaged and a local state of emergency was enacted, they added.
The tornado was fueled by a lone supercell thunderstorm and was tagged with a rare “particularly dangerous situation” designation by the National Weather Service as it tracked near Three Rivers, Michigan.
The State Emergency Operations Center was activated after damage was reported in Branch, Cass and St. Joseph counties, Michigan State Police said.
A tornado in the Three Rivers area launched fragments of buildings into the air and peeled large sections of the roof off a storage facility, video shows. It’s unclear if anyone was injured. CNN has reached out for more information.
In Union City, east of Union Lake, video shows massive pieces of debris flying in the air as someone in the background says, “There goes a house.”
The Michigan fatalities follow reports of a deadly tornado striking Oklahoma overnight Thursday, killing a mother and daughter.
On Friday, another round of dangerous storms killed two people in Beggs, Oklahoma, the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office said.
As of late Friday, “all persons are accounted for and there are no more missing persons,” Sheriff Eddy Rice said in a statement.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said he had spoken with Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols and Beggs Mayor Roger Merrill following tornadoes in their communities.
“We are committed to assist with their recovery efforts,” he said on Facebook, adding state agencies “remain engaged across Green Country this evening” and urging residents to “continue to stay weather-aware as storms persist into the night.”
A break before storms start up again
The storms were charged by unusually warm air for early March along with a surge of energy from a shift in the jet stream.
The ingredients fueling Friday’s threat will lose a bit of their steam on Saturday. Still, there could be at least a smattering of severe storms, especially from Texas to the lower Mississippi Valley and parts of the Great Lakes, including Cleveland and Pittsburgh, with a lower tornado risk.
Wind capable of knocking down trees or power lines is the main concern for all threatened areas Saturday, including Houston and Buffalo, New York. The chance of a tornado is low, but we can’t completely rule an isolated one out. Texas could also see isolated large hail.
Thursday’s deadly tornado
A mother and daughter were killed Thursday night in western Oklahoma when their vehicle was struck by a tornado at the start of the two-day outbreak of severe storms underway in the Plains and Midwest.
The two were traveling near State Highway 60 and 243 Road west of Fairview, Oklahoma, when they were hit by the tornado, Major County Sheriff Tony Robinson told CNN.
A tornado warning was in effect for part of Major County between 8 and 9 p.m. CT. The storms also blew over a semi-trailer in the county, which is about 80 miles northwest of Oklahoma City, according to a report from the National Weather Service.
Thursday night’s storms spawned a total of seven tornado reports from the Texas Panhandle to south-central Kansas. Hail the size of golf balls or larger also pelted the region.
In Grant County, Oklahoma, a reported tornado downed trees, power lines and damaged structures, according to reports from the Weather Service.
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CNN’s Ruben Correa, Taylor Romine, Hanna Park and Meteorologist Briana Waxman contributed to this report.
