States along the Gulf Coast were under threat of severe weather on Monday as the storm moved through the region, bringing deadly tornadoes to the central United States over the weekend, killing at least four people and causing widespread damage.
Severe thunderstorms will roll through southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana into the morning, bringing gusty winds, hail and flooding, with some areas receiving up to 2 to 3 inches per hour, the National Weather Service said. It is said that it will rain.
“As extreme rainfall moves towards the Gulf Coast, there could be significant and life-threatening impacts across multiple metropolitan areas and their suburbs, including Houston and Lake Charles,” the weather service warned. The worst of the heavy rain and thunderstorms should reach offshore by Monday evening.
More than 84,000 homes and businesses were without power in Texas and Louisiana as of Monday morning as the storm moved through the region, according to a USA TODAY database. A deadly storm ripped through the central United States, leaving tens of thousands of homes without power over the weekend.
Recovery efforts underway after deadly storm destroys community
In Oklahoma, a slow-moving storm flattened entire roads, tossed cars and killed at least four people, including a 4-month-old infant. .
The Oklahoma State Emergency Management Agency reported Sunday afternoon that more than 100 people were injured in the storm. Sulfur City, about 130 miles southeast of Oklahoma City, “has definitely suffered the most damage since I've been governor,” said Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, who began his first term in 2019. said.
“I've seen a lot of damage and I've been all over the state. This is my sixth year, but what I saw in downtown Sulfur was unbelievable,” Stitt said at a news conference. Told.
Mr. Stitt declared a state of emergency to secure funding for recovery efforts, but federal officials FEMA is coordinating with state authorities. Other states hit by the storm include Nebraska and Iowa, where businesses and homes were completely destroyed.
4 people killed in tornado in Oklahoma. Over 100 people injured
At least four people were killed across Oklahoma on Saturday after tornadoes ripped through rural areas and small towns across the state.
The Oklahoma State Medical Examiner has confirmed three deaths from the storm. Two of the deaths were in Holdenville, about 130 miles southeast of Oklahoma City, and the other in Marietta, a small city near the Texas border. Hughes County authorities confirmed one of the victims was a 4-month-old child. The other victim was an adult male.
Stitt announced Sunday a fourth death in Sulphur, a city of about 5,000 people. In Sulfur, a downtown shopping district was torn apart by a powerful tornado.
“We're going to do whatever we can to put the pieces back together,” Stitt said at a news conference. “It was good because it was downtown. Even at 10:30 at night, there weren't many people. I can't believe the destruction.”
Storm could cause more tornadoes and flooding across central U.S.
The weather service said a low-pressure system is expected to bring showers and thunderstorms across the Great Plains and Mississippi Valley on Tuesday.
Very large hail, high winds, and a few tornadoes are the main threats that could be felt in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, South Dakota, and Minnesota.
Downstream of the storm system, isolated showers and thunderstorms are expected to move through the Ohio and Tennessee valleys to the East Coast on Tuesday, with a slight risk of extreme weather.
Contributors: Jorge L. Ortiz and John Bacon, USA TODAY. Josh Dulaney and Jack Money, “The Oklahoman”
