周日早上,至少有11人受伤,约100所房屋受损或被毁龙卷风聚集在俄克拉荷马城地区。
官员们周日发布了龙卷风警报,其中包括俄克拉荷马大学诺曼校区的警报。
其中一个龙卷风被认为直接登陆了俄克拉荷马城,那里是大多数伤亡发生的地方。警方和消防官员表示,受伤人员正在医院接受无生命危险的治疗。
俄克拉荷马市消防局周日表示,他们已经成功救出了两名被困在翻倒的活动房屋中的成年人。此外,它说,消防队员已经对因山洪暴发而被困在车内的人员做出了反应。
截至周日下午,没有死亡报告。
然而,俄克拉何马市官员报告说,39座建筑被摧毁,另外43座遭受严重损坏,54座建筑受到轻微损坏。
官员们说,损失评估正在进行中,州长凯文·斯蒂特周日晚些时候发布了六个县的紧急声明。
除了受损或被毁的结构,当可能的龙卷风从晚上11点左右开始在四个小时内席卷该地区时,电线被吹倒,树木被推倒,天然气管道被破坏。周六,俄克拉荷马州诺曼的国家气象局(NWS)的气象学家诺兰·梅斯特周日告诉美国广播公司新闻。
“我们估计至少有6次龙卷风,可能多达12次,”梅斯特说,并补充说,恶劣的天气还在该地区产生了山洪暴发和大冰雹。
他说,NWS已经确认了“几个”龙卷风,并正在努力确认其他龙卷风。
据报道,一场可能的龙卷风于凌晨1点袭击了俄克拉荷马城以东约17英里的乔克托社区乔克托警察局.
当局在一份声明中说,疑似龙卷风席卷了乔克托的Railhead房地产,对房屋造成了“严重破坏”,并促使消防队员和警察挨家挨户地检查居民。
警方称,据报道,有几个人在事件中受了轻伤。
“该地区的房屋遭到严重破坏,”警方在声明中说。“我们在乔克托小学为任何需要临时休息和庇护场所的人开放了体育馆。”
根据乔克托警察局的说法,附近的城市哈拉也遭受了破坏,并补充说人们正在当地的赌场避难。
周日,位于俄克拉荷马城以南约14英里的纽卡斯尔也出现了受损图像。
梅斯特告诉美国广播公司新闻,周日上午9点左右,该地区所有的龙卷风警报都已解除。
然而,他说更恶劣的天气正在向俄克拉荷马城地区袭来。NWS周日下午在俄克拉荷马城地区发布了几次龙卷风警报,并表示预计还会有雷暴。
NWS周日下午表示,在俄克拉荷马州东南部登陆的龙卷风在增强的藤田等级上被评为EF3级,这意味着它的风速为每小时136-165英里。官员们表示,袭击斯蒂芬斯县科曼奇的另一场龙卷风至少是EF2龙卷风,风速为每小时111-135英里。
NWS预报整个周日俄克拉荷马城地区会有更恶劣的天气。
官员们说,周日发布的紧急龙卷风警报之一促使俄克拉荷马大学诺曼校区的学生和工作人员就地躲避。
该警告于凌晨1点22分发布在学校的官方X账户上。学校在凌晨1点55分和2点02分发布了额外的警告。
“现在在你所在的建筑物内寻找庇护”第一条消息说道。"移动到最低的楼层/室内。"
当时,NWS说它正在观察俄克拉荷马州中部和东部的龙卷风。该机构的风暴预测中心在2005年表示,德克萨斯州西北部的一个小区域也在观察之中紧急更新凌晨1点40分
该中心表示大约15分钟后它看到了几个“离散的超级细胞”,这些细胞“在OK的开放温暖区域内成熟”
该中心说:“龙卷风警戒意味着警戒区内及其附近的条件有利于龙卷风和严重雷暴的发生。”“这些地区的人们应该注意威胁性的天气状况,并收听随后的声明和可能的警告。”
俄克拉荷马州州长在周日晚上的新闻发布会上提醒居民,红十字会避难所为服务和资源开放,而州应急中心仍然处于激活状态。
由于超过30,000户家庭经历停电,Stitt说,该州将优先考虑在选举日之前开放投票站-有电可用。他保证说,如果有任何问题,选民会得到通知,并根据需要重新安排。
Swarm of tornadoes slams into Oklahoma City area
At least 11 people were injured Sunday morning and about 100 homes were damaged or destroyed when multipletornadoesswarmed the Oklahoma City area.
Officials issued tornado warnings Sunday, including one for the University of Oklahoma's Norman campus.
One of the twisters is thought to have touched down directly in Oklahoma City, where most of the injuries occurred. Police and fire officials said the people hurt were being treated at hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries.
The Oklahoma City Fire Department said on Sunday that it had successfully rescued two adults who were trapped in an overturned mobile home.Additionally, it said firefighters had responded to individuals stranded in their vehicles due to flash-flooding conditions.
As of Sunday afternoon, there were no reports of fatalities.
However, Oklahoma City officials reported that 39 structures were destroyed, another 43 sustained major damage, and 54 structures received minor damage.
Officials said the damage assessment was ongoing, and Gov. Kevin Stitt issued an emergency declaration for six counties late Sunday.
In addition to the damaged or destroyed structures, power lines were downed, trees were toppled and gas lines were broken when the possible twisters tore through the area during a four-hour period beginning around 11 p.m. Saturday, Nolan Meister, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service (NWS) in Norman, Oklahoma, told ABC News on Sunday.
"We are estimating that there were at least six tornadoes and potentially as many as 12," Meister said, adding that the severe weather also produced flash flooding and large hail in the area.
He said the NWS has confirmed "a couple" of the tornadoes and is working to confirm the others.
One possible tornado struck the community of Choctaw, about 17 miles east of Oklahoma City, at about 1 a.m., according to theChoctaw Police Department.
The suspected twister ripped through the Railhead Estates in Choctaw, causing "major damage" to homes and prompting firefighters and police to go door-to-door checking on residents, authorities said in a statement.
Several people were reported suffering minor injuries in the incident, police said.
"There is significant damage to homes in the area," police said in the statement. "We have opened the gymnasium at Choctaw Elementary for anyone that needs a temporary place for rest and shelter."
The nearby city of Harrah also sustained damage, according to the Choctaw Police Department, adding that people were taking shelter at a local casino.
Images of damage also emerged Sunday in Newcastle, about 14 miles south of Oklahoma City.
Meister told ABC News that around 9 a.m. on Sunday, all the tornado warnings in the area had been lifted.
However, he said that more severe weather was headed to the Oklahoma City area. The NWS issued several tornado warnings in the Oklahoma City area Sunday afternoon and said thunderstorms are also expected.
The NWS said Sunday afternoon that a twister that touched down in southeast Oklahoma City was rated as an EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, meaning it packed wind speeds of 136-165 mph. Officials said another tornado that hit Comanche in Stephens County was raised as at least an EF2 tornado packing wind speeds of 111-135 mph.
The NWS forecasted more severe weather throughout Sunday for the Oklahoma City area.
Among the emergency tornado warnings issued Sunday was one that prompted students and staff at the University of Oklahoma's Norman campus to shelter in place, officials said.
The warning was posted at 1:22 a.m. on the school's official X account. The school issued additional warnings at 1:55 a.m. and 2:02 a.m.
"Seek shelter NOW inside the building you are in," thefirst messagesaid. "Move to lowest floor/interior."
At the time, the NWSsaidit was watching for tornadoes throughout central and eastern Oklahoma. A small area within northwest Texas was also under watch, the agency's Storm Prediction Center said inan urgent updateat 1:40 a.m.
The center saidabout 15 minutes laterit had seen several "discrete supercells" that had "matured within the open warm sector across OK."
"A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area," the center said. "Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings."
Oklahoma's governor reminded residents at a press conference on Sunday evening that Red Cross shelters were open for services and resources, while the state emergency center remains activated.
With over 30,000 households experiencing power outages, Stitt said that the state will prioritize having polling stations open -- with power available -- by Election Day. If there are any issues, he assured, voters will be notified and rerouted as needed.