Tornado threat ramps up as storm damage reported in Oklahoma and Texas and blizzard conditions mount in the northern Plains - CNN

CNN  — 

Severe storms – with reports of astatine slightest 1 tornado and damaging winds – are raking parts of Oklahoma and Texas, leaving a way of harm Tuesday greeting and threatening much arsenic blizzard conditions physique crossed respective states farther north.

This is each portion of a elephantine winter storm strategy pushing into the cardinal US aft walloping the West implicit the weekend. About 25 cardinal radical from Texas to Mississippi are nether menace of terrible storms Tuesday, including tornadoes. And astir 15 cardinal radical – mostly successful the north-central US – are nether winter-weather warnings oregon advisories Tuesday morning, with powerfulness outages a cardinal concern.

Two tornado watches are successful effect: One for parts of the Dallas country and confederate Oklahoma until 11 a.m. CT; and one for for parts of Arkansas, southeastern Oklahoma and eastbound Texas until 5 p.m. CT.

A enactment of terrible storms susceptible of producing tornadoes and ample hail was hitting the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex successful the midmorning.

Sirens rang retired astir 9:30 a.m. ET astatine Dallas Fort-Worth International Airport. “We are successful the midst of a tornado informing present connected the occidental broadside of the Dallas-Fort Worth area,” CNN’s Ed Lavandera said from the airport, “where fundamentally everything has travel to a halt present (as) this truly beardown enactment of terrible storms is starting to marque its mode done North Texas.”

Damage connected Tuesday greeting includes:

• Wayne, Oklahoma: A suspected tornado successful that municipality near “buildings wiped disconnected of their instauration (and) trees snapped implicit similar twigs” aboriginal Tuesday, CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam said. There are nary reported injuries, but Wayne has nary power, and household structures, outbuildings and barns are damaged, according to McClain County Emergency Management.

• Outside Dallas: Wind harm has been reported Tuesday greeting westbound of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, including tractor-trailers being blown implicit adjacent the towns of Millsap and Decatur, and barns suffering harm adjacent the municipality of Jacksboro, the National Weather Service said.

More terrible storms susceptible of tornadoes are expected Tuesday and Wednesday successful the Gulf Coast portion arsenic the analyzable snow-or-rain strategy sweeps done the cardinal US from northbound to south.

Across the cardinal and bluish Plains and Upper Midwest, blowing snowfall and/or freezing rainfall could snarl question and endanger powerfulness outages into Thursday.

Here’s what antithetic regions tin expect successful the coming days:

• An “enhanced risk” for terrible storms Tuesday stretches from eastbound Texas to bluish Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi, with tornadoes, ample hail and damaging consecutive enactment winds possible.

• Blizzard conditions are expected Tuesday and Wednesday for parts of the cardinal and bluish Plains, with snowfall astatine times expected to autumn astatine rates of 1 to 2 inches per hr amid almighty 40 mph winds.

• The top flash flooding menace volition beryllium Tuesday into Wednesday from the little Mississippi Valley into the cardinal Gulf Coast, Tennessee Valley and confederate Appalachians.

• Freezing rainfall and sleet volition beryllium imaginable done Wednesday successful the Upper Midwest.

The storm, which archetypal deed the Western US with much-needed snowfall and rain, resulted successful wintertime tempest alerts from the Canadian borderline to Mexico’s borderline with New Mexico.

In Denver, up to 5 inches of snowfall are expected Tuesday, with 50 mph upwind gusts possible.

Blizzard warnings extended Tuesday from parts of Montana and Wyoming into northeastern Colorado, occidental Nebraska and South Dakota, wherever harsh, life-threatening conditions are expected.

Snowfall done Wednesday greeting mostly could beryllium 10 to 18 inches successful the cardinal and bluish Plains and Upper Midwest. Some areas wrong the blizzard informing zones – peculiarly occidental South Dakota, eastbound Wyoming and northwestern Nebraska – could get arsenic galore arsenic 24 inches of snow, with winds beardown capable to sound down histrion limbs and origin powerfulness outages, the Weather Prediction Center said.

“We’re not expecting a speedy burst of snowfall here,” Brandon Wills, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service successful Cheyenne, Wyoming, said Monday evening. Snow is “going to accumulate the highest successful the bluish Nebraska panhandle – and it’s going to beryllium blowing astir similar brainsick due to the fact that of the beardown winds that we’re going to person arsenic well,” helium said.

Interstates successful South Dakota could go impassable amid the blizzard conditions, resulting successful roadway closures crossed the state, the South Dakota Department of Transportation warned Monday.

Ice tempest warnings were issued for parts of eastbound South Dakota, southwestern Minnesota and occidental Iowa. Up to two-tenths of an inch of crystal could accumulate successful immoderate of these areas, forecasters said.

In Anchorage, Alaska, an “unprecedented magnitude of snowfall” has led to schools being closed for 4 days and connected Monday unopen down the University of Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Pacific University.

“The snowstorms that person deed Anchorage implicit the past week are historical successful nature, bringing anyplace betwixt 30-45 inches of snowfall to our city,” said Hans Rodvik, a spokesperson for the Anchorage mayor’s office, said Monday successful a connection to CNN.

Meanwhile, the confederate extremity of the tempest threatens to bring tornadoes.

A tornado ticker is successful effect Tuesday greeting for parts of Texas and confederate Oklahoma until 11 a.m. CT. The main threats are tornadoes, hail and upwind gusts up to 70 mph.

An alert for enhanced hazard of terrible weather – level 3 of 5 – was issued Tuesday for eastbound Texas and the little Mississippi River Valley, with the main threats including almighty tornadoes, damaging winds, and ample hail. Baton Rouge, Shreveport, and Lafayette, Louisiana, are portion of the threatened area, arsenic is Jackson, Mississippi.

“My main interest with the tornadoes is going to beryllium aft dark,” CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said Tuesday. “We person precise abbreviated days this clip of year, truthful 5 oregon 6 o’clock, it’s going to beryllium acheronian retired there. Spotters aren’t arsenic close erstwhile it is dark. Tornado warnings are a small spot slow; if you’re sleeping, you whitethorn not get them. So, that’s the existent information with this storm.”

A portion of flimsy hazard – level 2 of 5 – encircled that area, stretching from eastbound Texas and confederate Oklahoma to confederate Arkansas and overmuch of the remainder of Louisiana and cardinal Mississippi. That includes Dallas and New Orleans.

Tuesday besides brings a slight hazard of excessive rainfall successful parts of Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, with 2 to 4 inches of rainfall and flash flooding possible, the Weather Prediction Center said.

On Wednesday, the menace for terrible upwind is mostly focused connected the Gulf Coast, with tornadoes and damaging winds imaginable implicit parts of confederate Louisiana, Mississippi, southwest Alabama and the occidental Florida Panhandle, the Storm Prediction Center said.