At least 3 dead after damaging EF3 tornado levels homes in Oklahoma
Officials warn the death toll could climb as search and rescue operations continue after an “erratic” tornado struck the city of Cole on Wednesday evening.
A rain-wrapped tornado slammed into the town of Cole, Oklahoma, on the evening of April 19, destroying multiple homes.
At least three fatalities have been confirmed after a large and damaging tornado struck the town of Cole, Oklahoma, Wednesday evening. As the sun rose Thursday morning, the full scope of the damage in Cole was becoming clearer.
The McClain County Sheriff’s Office confirmed two of the victims were county residents.
As of Thursday morning, a third fatality had been confirmed by the sheriff’s office, but officials are still trying to determine where the victim was from.
The office also noted search and rescue operations are ongoing. A spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office told News9 it was “reasonable” to expect more fatalities due to the amount of damage the twister caused.
On Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, said a storm survey crew found a home with EF3 tornado damage near Cole.
With three fatalities, Wednesday was the deadliest tornado day in Oklahoma since May 20, 2013, nearly 10 years ago, when 24 people were killed by the tornado that leveled the city of Moore. That twister was also the most recent EF5 tornado to occur in the United States, according to SPC data.
Just before 8 p.m. CDT, the National Weather Service (NWS) wrote on Twitter that a “significant tornado” was ongoing northeast of Cole, which is located about 30 miles south of Oklahoma City. The NWS described the tornado’s motion as “erratic,” and a tornado warning was issued just minutes before for the nearby cities of Norman and Goldsby.
Extreme Meteorologist Reed Timmer captured intense video of the tornado moving through Cole, and reported that at least four homes were damaged.
Damage in Cole also included the destruction of a building used as a wedding venue. First responders and debris blocked off most of the roads in town after the tornado struck.
Other reports of homes being leveled were documented throughout the area, along with downed power poles.
Significant amounts of debris were spewed across the Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) campus from the twister. School officials urged students to stay in their housing units through the night. Classes at OBU have been canceled for Thursday and Friday.
As a severe weather outbreak unfolded across the southern Plains Wednesday, several other tornadoes and large hail were reported.
The twister that hit Shawnee, Oklahoma, on April 20, damaged homes, flipped trucks and destroyed businesses including Story Book Academy.
As a twister barreled down on Shawnee, Oklahoma, which is located about 40 miles northeast of Cole, the strong winds blew over a tractor-trailer.
“Truck started rocking…next thing I know, I am upside down,” Jim Johnson, the truck driver, told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell. “Highway patrol stopped. They broke my windshield down for me so that I could get out.”
Several buildings were damaged and debris was strewn about in Shawnee.
An AccuWeather Radar loop shows a damaging tornado moving through Cole, Oklahoma, Wednesday evening.
In Norman, about 15 miles northeast of Cole, a tornado was seen on the ground near Tinker Air Force Base, along with large hail that damaged a truck at the base. Hail was a consistent threat throughout Wednesday in Oklahoma, with Timmer capturing a photo of hailstones nearly the size of a tennis ball.
The University of Oklahoma in Norman issued a campus emergency due to the storms, telling those on campus to seek shelter immediately.
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Oklahoma was not the only state to receive severe weather Wednesday evening. Around 8:30 p.m. CDT, a likely tornado was spotted near Elmdale, Kansas, with debris reported in the area. The strong winds overturned a semi, causing one injury. About 30 minutes later, a semi was blown over near Colby, Kansas, resulting in two injuries.
Tornado reports from April 19, 2023.
In Iowa, a public report of a tornado came in during the early evening hours in Pottawattamie County, located on the Iowa-Nebraska state line outside of Omaha. Severe thunderstorms were present in Iowa throughout Wednesday, including north of Red Oak, and tennis ball-sized hail was reported on Interstate 29 near McPaul.
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