Monday brought a fresh reminder of how risky tornadoes can be.
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1117am – we can confirm at least EF3 damage with the tornado west of I-35 near Katie (SW of Wynnewood).
The two victims were identified by local media as Chester Barnes, of rural Garvin County, Oklahoma, and Jackie Brooks, of Johnston County, Oklahoma. Select from these options: Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts. The National Weather Service says a tornado briefly touched down on the southeast edge of Lincoln, Neb., and there were reports of baseball-sized hail is falling in the area.
A tornado was also reported outside of Odessa, Nebraska, causing minor damage to homes and property and dumping hail larger than softballs in the area. Officials say that a man believed to be above 70-years-old died in Wynnewood in Gavin County. Initial reports are that 10 people were taken to a hospital with injuries that are not life-threatening.
No one was home when this farmstead was hit, McGowan said, but others were not as fortunate.
The weather service will continue to issue survey updates as more information becomes available.
In southern Oklahoma, crews were assessing damage from a tornado a day earlier blamed for two deaths that sliced through two counties at speeds of between 135 miles per hour and 165. But communities along the Ohio River saw strong storms, and tornadoes were reported in southern IL and western Kentucky.
So far, the risk is lower than on Monday, when powerful storms spawned tornadoes across the Great Plains, killing two people in Oklahoma.
Tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Arkansas, Iowa and IL.
One of the men who was killed lived near Lisa Buckner in Wynnewood.
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The Oklahoma Office of Emergency Management reported the storms destroyed a radio station building in Coal County and an undetermined number of homes in Murray, Garvin and Johnston counties.
