Tornadoes cause damage in Oklahoma; storms rock central US

Oklahoma was hit by several tornadoes late Sunday night and Monday morning. There were no reports of injuries or deaths.

A severe weather system brought heavy rains, lightning, wind and thunder to Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Texas and parts of Missouri. Stormy weather is forecast for the middle of this week.

According to Chuck Hodges (senior meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Tulsa), severe weather is not uncommon in the Southern Plains during October. He said that Sunday’s storm was more of a spring-like setup.

He said, “We had an unusually high level of moisture and a very strong weather system that prevailed.”

Oklahoma received tornado warnings and damage reports starting Sunday afternoon. Survey crews from the weather service will be out Monday to assess how many tornadoes were inflicted, Hodges stated.

Coweta, a Tulsa suburb, was struck by a tornado late Sunday night. It caused significant damage to homes, a high school and a gas station. Classes at Coweta Public School were cancelled Monday.

An earlier hailstorm of the size of a baseball smashed windows and damaged cars in Norman, Oklahoma City, approximately 20 miles (32 km) south.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or deaths.

Oklahoma Gas & Electric stated in a statement, that crews were working hard to restore power.

Lightning that looked like it was from the same storm line delayed an NFL game in Kansas City between the Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills for approximately an hour Sunday night.

According to the Storm Prediction Center, severe storms could be possible Monday in some parts of Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan. A second round of storms is forecast Tuesday in Kansas, Oklahoma.