SEMINOLE, Okla. (Washington Insider Magazine) – A storm system produced numerous tornadoes that swept over Oklahoma and Texas, destroying a marijuana farm, a school, and other facilities.
Although no significant casualties were reported as a result of the Wednesday night tornadoes, the system triggered floods in areas of Arkansas and Oklahoma, and more inclement weather was forecast for Thursday.
Substantial damage was reported in Seminole, Oklahoma, approximately 60 miles southeast of Oklahoma City, where Governor Kevin Stitt inspected the region Thursday and said damage evaluations were underway.
An EF2 tornado, with winds of up to 135 mph, caused damage near Seminole, according to the National Weather Service.
According to Oklahoma Gas & Electric, over 2,900 people in Seminole were still without power late Thursday afternoon, accounting for more than 63 percent of the city’s utility consumers.
The Academy of Seminole was hit directly, but no one was hurt, according to the school’s Facebook page.
A tornado struck a marijuana plantation in the adjacent town of Maud, according to video from Oklahoma TV station KOCO.
Due to flash floods, several roads and highways in Arkansas and Oklahoma were blocked Thursday morning.
After storms flooded several streets and houses in one neighborhood in Bixby, Oklahoma, south of Tulsa, authorities provided a temporary shelter in a church.
According to Sheriff John Wayne Valdez of Rusk County, a twister destroyed many RVs and structures at an RV park on Thursday. One individual was hurt after a tree fell on them, according to the Rusk County Office of Emergency Management.
According to the National Weather Service office in Norman, Oklahoma, a “large and dangerous tornado” was sighted near the remote community of Lockett, some 170 miles northwest of Dallas, on Wednesday.
An EF3 tornado, with winds of up to 165 mph, caused destruction near Lockett, according to the weather forecast.
Sheriff Brian Fritze informed KAUZ-TV that there were no notable deaths or injuries among inhabitants of Wilbarger County, where Lockett is situated. Several barns and residences seemed to have been severely damaged, he added.
Officials in Washington County, Arkansas, conducted over 30 water rescues after heavy rains swamped streets and houses in Johnson and Fayetteville.
The storms that hit the central United States on Wednesday and Thursday were the latest in a string of devastating weather events. A tornado destroyed over 1,000 buildings in the Wichita neighborhood of Andover, Kansas, last week. According to ABC NEWS, 3 University of Oklahoma meteorology students were killed in a car accident while coming from storm chasing.
The storms may bring more tornadoes, destructive winds, and massive hail, and the potential of extreme weather will remain Friday in areas of the South and throughout the weekend in the Midwest and central plains, according to the National Weather Service.
