Terrified Texans woke up last night to the sound of tornado sirens as the latest in a series of brutal storms hit the Lone Star State, leaving a trail of destruction and damage.
The storms are just the latest in a series that have tortured several states in recent weeks, resulting in 24 deaths.
In Texas, “extreme” hail fell in some cities, while others were subjected to steady rain. Many took to social media to share their fears, comparing them to the “end of the world.”
The death toll of 22 also includes seven deaths in Cooke County, Texas, from a tornado Saturday that leveled a mobile home park, officials said, and eight deaths across Arkansas.
A vandalized gas station and overturned vehicles are seen after a deadly tornado hit Valley View, Texas.
Stunning images also showed an American Airlines Boeing-737 spun by strong gusts of wind at the Dallas Fort Worth airport. Fortunately, no one was hurt.
Texans described the storm as “crazy” on social media, with one person saying they “witnessed the water go horizontal with the noise of a jet engine.”
Another resident admitted they were “crouching” under their kitchen cabinets as the storm hit their home.
Two people died in Mayes County, Oklahoma, east of Tulsa, authorities said. Among the injured were guests at an outdoor wedding.
The small Kentucky town of Charleston took a direct hit Sunday night from a tornado that the governor said appeared to be on the ground for 40 miles.
“It’s a huge disaster,” said Rob Linton, who lives in Charleston and is the fire chief of nearby Dawson Springs, hit by a tornado in 2021.
‘Fallen trees everywhere. The houses moved. Power lines are down. There are no public services of any kind: no water, no electricity.
More than 744,000 homes experienced power outages in Texas on Tuesday, according to Poweroutage.us, while 81,000 were without power in Kentucky, 41,000 in Arkansas, 22,000 in West Virginia and 21,000 in Missouri.
Twelve states also reported at least 10,000 outages that same day, according to PowerOutage.us.
Terrified Texans woke up last night to the sound of tornado sirens as the latest in a series of brutal storms hit the Lone Star State, leaving a trail of destruction and damage.
Motorists in Dallas caught torrents of water that turned roads into rivers as rain battered their vehicles.
The storms are just the latest in a series that have tortured several states in recent weeks, resulting in 24 deaths.
Further east, some rural areas of Hopkins County affected by the 2021 tornado around the community of Barnsley were damaged again Sunday night, county emergency management director Nick Bailey said.
“There were a lot of people who were just getting their lives back together and then this,” Bailey said. “Almost the same place, the same houses and everything.”
Texans on social media shared videos of their hometowns being struck by constant lightning while tornado sirens sounded.
Videos of violent flashes marking surreal purple skies flooded social media with people saying they had “never seen anything like this”.
Meanwhile, motorists in Dallas caught torrents of water that turned roads into rivers as rain battered their vehicles.
Farther north, in Carrollton, residents shared videos of torrential rain blowing in all directions across their balconies as hurricane-force winds whipped them in frightening motions.
Others shared videos of what looked like fire raining down as tornadoes hit utility poles and downed power lines.
Hail storm in Grand Prairie topples vehicles and homes, causing widespread damage
The impressive damage caused by a tornado in Valley View, Texas
Homes were destroyed in Valley View, Texas, by the storm that hit the Lone Star State over Memorial Day weekend.
A trail of destruction was left as a deadly tornado ripped through Valley View, Texas, damaging homes and structures, drone footage shows.
President Joe Biden sent his condolences to the families of those who died.
He said the Federal Emergency Management Agency is on the ground conducting damage assessments and has been in touch with governors to see what federal support they might need.
It’s been a grim month of tornadoes and severe weather in the center of the country.
April had the second highest number of tornadoes on record in the country.
Harold Brooks, senior scientist at the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, said a persistent pattern of warm, moist air is to blame for the string of tornadoes over the past two months.
That warm, humid air sits at the northern edge of a heat dome that raises temperatures typically seen in midsummer through late May.