A series of dangerous storms are expected to wreck havoc in the southern US over the next two days, where millions of Americans across six states are being told to take shelter ahead of tornadoes Tuesday.
Severe thunderstorms have pummeled the south central region of the US since Monday, and will only continue as the week progresses. Over 50 million Americans were at risk for violent and life-threatening thunderstorms as of Tuesday morning, AccuWeather forecasters warn.
Parts of Texas and Oklahoma were blasted by a tornado outbreak Monday, with the threat on Tuesday now including Arkansas and Louisiana. Sixty-six tornado warnings have been issued across the four states.
A tornado touched down around 3.41pm Monday in Jacksboro, Texas, damaging mobile homes, school buildings and the city’s animal shelter. Four people suffered minor injuries from the tornado, Fox4 reported.
A separate tornado also struck Madisonville, about 100 miles north of Houston. A line of powerful tornadoes advanced toward the Interstate 35 corridor that runs between San Antonio and Austin broke out Monday afternoon, tearing down trees and the roofs of dozens of Texas homes.
By Monday night the tornado had traveled north to Oklahoma, where it caused ‘extensive damage,’ according to AccuWeather.
The city of Kingston was hit with a quarter-mile wide tornado around 6.30pm, creating a path of destruction almost 1,300 feet long.
‘This is a volatile weather pattern, and we’ve seen these types of storm systems previously produce damaging, dangerous and highly impactful severe weather and flooding,’ said AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Johnathan Porter.
As the storm progresses Tuesday morning, over 60,000 homes and businesses in Texas are experiencing power outages.
The severe weather is expected to hit Louisiana and Mississippi in full force, with winds up to 90 miles per hour forecasted for Tuesday afternoon. Flash floods and even blizzard-like conditions also remain a threat in the region well into Tuesday night. Flooding could also hit the Ohio Valley into the South, according to weather.com.
Wednesday will be the final day of the severe storm, which by then should hit the Carolinas, Georgia and northern Florida and bring along damaging winds, large hail and possible tornadoes.
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