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At least 5 dead in Texas after strong storms in Texas and Oklahoma

At least 5 dead in Texas after strong storms in Texas and Oklahoma

At least five people died after powerful storms hit a rural Texas town, destroying homes and leaving thousands without power on Sunday, a Texas police chief said.

Among the victims were three members of a family who were found in a home near Valley View, a rural town near the Oklahoma border, Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington told The Associated Press.

The destructive storms began Saturday night. Authorities said a tornado north of Dallas overturned heavy recreational vehicles, shut down an interstate and caused extensive damage to a highway gas station where several drivers had taken shelter.

“The search and rescue is ongoing,” Sappington said Sunday morning. “But we have already begun to recover the deceased as well. We have five confirmed (deaths), but unfortunately we believe that number is probably going to rise.”

Forecasters had issued warnings for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in parts of the two states, after a day in which daytime temperature records were broken in South Texas and heat advisories were issued over the holiday weekend.

A tornado crossed northern Denton County, Texas, on Saturday night and overturned large trucks, blocking traffic on Interstate 35, Denton County Community Relations Director Dawn Cobb said in a statement.

The tornado was confirmed near Valley View and moved east at 40 miles per hour (64 kilometers per hour), prompting the National Weather Service to issue a tornado watch for northern Denton County, Cobb said.

The storm caused damage to homes, overturned mobile homes and downed power lines and trees in places such as Sanger, Pilot Point, Ray Roberts Lake and Isle du Bois State Park, according to Cobb.

People who were injured in the storm were taken to area hospitals by ground and air ambulances, he said, although the number of injuries in the area was not initially known. A shelter was set up in Sanger.

People were believed trapped at a storm-damaged Shell truck service station in neighboring Cooke County, Cobb added.

The fire department in Denton, about 37 miles (59.5 kilometers) north of Fort Worth, Texas, said in X that emergency personnel had responded to a marina for a report of “several victims, some reportedly trapped.” ”.

Earlier Saturday night, the National Weather Service office in Norman, Oklahoma, said on the X social network that the alert affected northern Noble County and the southern end of Kay, an area north of Oklahoma City. “If you are in the path of the storm, take cover now!” he warned.

Another post at 10:05 p.m. indicated that the storms had left the area but warned of another system crossing northern Texas that could affect parts of south-central Oklahoma.

At 10:24 p.m., the weather service in Fort Worth, Texas, posted a message warning residents in Era and Valley View that they were in the direct path of a possible tornado and should take shelter immediately. The Fort Worth office continued to issue reports and ask people to seek shelter and tracked the storm’s progress until after midnight. It also issued a severe thunderstorm warning and said there could be “hail the size of golf balls.”

The weather service in Tulsa, Oklahoma, warned in and Herd.

Norman’s office had warned on Saturday that the situation was very volatile and could produce dangerous winds, large hail and tornadoes.

Excessive heat, especially for the month of May, was the danger in South Texas, where wind chills were expected to reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) in some places over the weekend. The actual temperature would be somewhat lower, but the humidity would make the sensation much stronger.

The region was at the northern edge of a heat dome stretching from Mexico to South America, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Zack Taylor.

Sunday could be the hottest day, with records for late May expected in Austin, Brownsville, Dallas and San Antonio, Taylor said.

Brownsville and Harlingen, near the Texas-Mexico border, already broke records on Saturday for the date of May 25 — with 99°F (37°C) and 100°F (38°C), respectively — according to the weather service.

There were also alerts in West Texas, all of New Mexico and parts of Oklahoma, Arizona and Colorado. Humidity was very low, below 10%, and gusts of up to 97 km/h (60 mph) were recorded.

“We have very dry air, warm temperatures and strong winds that create a high fire risk over a wide area … which can lead to uncontrollable or rapidly spreading fires,” Taylor said.

April and May have been months of high tornado activity, especially in the north-central region of the country. Climate change is increasing the intensity of storms around the world.

The United States recorded the second highest number of tornadoes in April. So far in 2024, the country is already 25% above the average for tornadoes, according to the Norman Storm Prediction Center.

Iowa was dealt a tough blow this week when a deadly tornado ripped through Greenfield. And other storms caused flooding and wind damage in different parts of the state.

The storm system that caused the severe weather was expected to move east over Memorial Day weekend, bringing rain that could delay Sunday’s Indianapolis 500 race in Indiana and more. storms in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Kentucky.

The risk of severe weather moves to North Carolina and Virginia on Monday, according to forecasters.

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