A day after tornadoes injured at least 11 people while downing trees, power lines and gas lines, communities in Oklahoma on Monday were navigating fresh warnings of destructive weather.
Six or more tornadoes hit the state overnight into Sunday – and more “tornadoes (some strong), large hail, and severe thunderstorm gusts, are expected today into tonight from the Southern Plains into the Ozarks and mid Mississippi Valley”, the US’s National Weather Service (NWS) said on Monday.
Local meteorologists expect damaging winds of between 70 and 80mph.
Power outages persist as a result of the severe weather heading into Sunday. More than 11,800 customers remained without power as of Monday.
A post on X from the Oklahoma governor, Kevin Stitt, told residents on Sunday night that power restoration was under way – and warned that “potentially life-threatening conditions continue to move across the state”.
Stitt’s post added: “Stay weather aware!”
I visited neighborhoods in OKC and Harrah earlier to survey the damage caused by last night’s severe weather event, thank first responders, and visit with impacted residents.
Utility restoration is underway where conditions permit and the state is working closely with local… pic.twitter.com/AWHe0RkER9
— Governor Kevin Stitt (@GovStitt) November 4, 2024
An Oklahoma City fire department spokesperson, Scott Douglas, told the Associated Press that heavy rain and the lingering threat of tornadoes in the early morning darkness complicated early search and rescue efforts.
“It was a heavy downpour. We were trying to sweep the area with another possibility of a tornado coming through,” Douglas said. “So that was in the back of our minds, too.”
Many schools and colleges in the state cancelled classes on Monday, with some experiencing significant damage. A video from Sunday morning shows winds tearing the roof off Newcastle elementary school. The Oklahoma Heart Hospital South off Interstate 240 in Oklahoma City was also damaged.
Experts say that unseasonably warm temperatures – a result of the ongoing climate crisis primarily spurred by the burning of fossil fuels – have caused increased storm systems which frequently spin off tornadoes.
According to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, as of 28 October, “there have been 1,515 confirmed twisters this year, although many of the ratings are considered preliminary until published in the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) database”.
The NWS issued several tips to those within the path of the tornadoes, including staying away from doors, windows, and outside walls – as well as wearing helmets, long sleeves, pants and proper shoes, assuming that there is time to prepare.
