At least two people have been killed in Oklahoma due to severe tornadoes that ripped through the state Wednesday evening.
The two deaths occurred in Cole, Oklahoma, a small town just south of Oklahoma City in the middle of the state. The death toll could rise as emergency responders conduct search-and-rescue operations in and around destroyed buildings, some of which have people trapped inside of them.
More than a dozen tornadoes were reported to have struck the Midwest on Wednesday, according to CNN. Kansas and Iowa were also hit by destructive storms, but Oklahoma appeared to get the worst of the severe weather. Tornado warnings from the National Weather Service continued into Thursday morning.
Images of storms forming Wednesday showcased the sheer strength the tornadoes and supercells can amass and maintain, especially in the Great Plains.
Earlier supercell west of Norman taken from the NWC.#okwx #texomawx pic.twitter.com/mlwda7cNeE
— NWS Norman (@NWSNorman) April 20, 2023
In other areas, there was little visibility apart from when lightning lit up the sky.
MASSIVE tornado producing supercell near Slaughterville, Oklahoma.
This doesn’t even seem real. #okwx @VortexChasing pic.twitter.com/hS3mLg32Bl
— Zachary Hall (@WxZachary) April 20, 2023
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The National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, reported Thursday morning that a severe risk of thunderstorms is “marginal” for Norman, Oklahoma City, and their surrounding areas.
However, the agency added: “There is a Slight Risk of severe thunderstorms over parts of the Middle/Lower Mississippi Valley and Southern Plains on Thursday.”
