Severe storms lashed the central United States early Tuesday, hours after a tornado in Oklahoma killed at least one person and destroyed parts of two communities.
At least 15 tornadoes were reported to have struck parts of the central United States on Monday evening, including seven in Oklahoma, according to the National Weather Service. More than eight million People in parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and Texas were watched by tornadoes early Tuesday.
A tornado killed one person Monday evening in the town of Barnsdall, Oklahoma, said Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virden, who added that the tornado was as wide as two miles. Emergency workers went door to door in the damaged areas early Tuesday to search for injured people, he said.
The tornado destroyed about a third of the small city, also injuring several people who were hospitalized in about 20 ambulances, said Jerry Roberts, Osage County emergency management director. The tornado also lifted the roof of a nursing home in Barnsdall, said Steven Cobb, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service office in Tulsa.
As the storm was brewing, the National Weather Service issued a rare notice tornado emergency alert, which one warns of catastrophic damage and serious threats to human life for approximately 30 minutes in part of Osage County and Washington County in Oklahoma.
The tornado destroyed power lines along its path from Barnsdall to Bartlesville, leaving entire towns without electricity, Mr. Cobb said. Barnsdall was also hit by a tornado last month, but Monday's tornado appeared more powerful, estimated at a 2 or higher on the Improved Fujita scalewhich goes from 0 to 5, Mr. Cobb said.
In Bartlesville, City officials said emergency workers had rescued trapped individuals at a Hampton Inn and were working to restore downed power lines early Tuesday. They said minor injuries were reported, without saying how many.
At approximately 12:15 a.m. local time, the weather service issued a message tornado warning for Oklahoma City and the area east thereof.
In Garfield County, Oklahoma, severe weather Monday destroyed some barns, felled trees and pushed cars into ditches, but no one was injured, said Mike Honigsberg, the county's emergency management director.
The Weather Prediction Center warned of a slight risk of excessive rainfall in parts of the Central Plains and Middle Mississippi Valley Monday through Tuesday morning. The heavy rains may cause flash flooding in urban areas, roads, small streams and low-lying areas.
More storms are forecast in the coming days, especially on Wednesday, from Texas to Ohio.
Last month, more than two dozen tornadoes were reported and at least five people were killed in Oklahoma and Iowa, including a baby, authorities said.
Livia Albeck-Ripka And Jesus Jimenez reporting contributed.