Tornadoes strike Texas to finish stormy week in central US
The recorder of this video said that he was hit "directly" by a tornado while sitting in his pickup truck near I-30 in Little Rock, Arkansas on May 2. Although not confirmed, there's strong evidence of a tornado with downed trees and an 18-wheeler tipped over. The National Weather Service confirmed two tornadoes in the area in early May 3.
Damaging thunderstorms that erupted across parts of the southern Plains sparked at least four tornadoes in Texas on Friday.
The latest confirmed tornado on Friday briefly touched down in Harris County near Tomball at 2 p.m. CDT according to the Storm Prediction Center (SPC).
Half an hour earlier, someone in the area managed to catch another tornado touching down in a field near Eagle Lake on video, and the SPC later confirmed it. There has not yet been any reported damage from these occurrences.
Earlier Friday morning, Fayette County law enforcement had confirmed a tornado near Flatonia. There was also a possible tornado along Highway 71 west of La Grange, Texas, according to the SPC.
There were reports of damage in both areas, and photos from the Fayette County EMS show structural damage to industrial buildings, trees, cars and power lines.
Fayette County EMS Director Sharon Muzny shared a photo on Facebook of a nearly destroyed church in Plum, Texas. While assessing the damage, she had noticed an intact art piece of the Last Supper and a crucifix still fixed on the otherwise destroyed church walls.
No injuries have been reported in association with the twisters.
A survey team from the National Weather Service is en route to Fayette County to assess the damage and to determine the strength of the tornado when it hit.
A round of damaging thunderstorms spurred tornado warnings across the outskirts of the Houston area Friday afternoon. The warnings stretched from Prairie View to Beasley and The Woodlands, splitting around Houston.
Another round of severe thunderstorms moved through the Houston area Friday night. These storms also triggered severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings just to the south of the Houston area.
Severe thunderstorms are forecast to shift eastward over the weekend, threatening areas from southern Virginia to northern Florida.
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