Topline
At least two people were killed in Oklahoma, while thousands of homes were left without power after multiple tornadoes and severe thunderstorms tore through parts of the Central U.S. late Wednesday.
FILE PHOTO: Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes ripped through the Central U.S. on Wednesday night.
Key Facts
According to local media reports, the two deaths were reported in a town called Cole in McClain County, located to the south of Oklahoma City.
Early on Thursday, as many as 19,400 households and businesses in Oklahoma remained without power, according to PowerOutage.us, with most outages reported in the state’s central part.
Earlier on Wednesday, the National Weather Service had issued a severe storm warning across the Central U.S. warning that they may cause “very large hail, significant damaging winds, and a few tornadoes.”
Parts of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas and Oklahoma were placed under a tornado watch until 11 p.m. CT.
In addition to this, some towns in northeast Kansas remained under a tornado warning until early Thursday.
Big Number
410. That is the preliminary count of the number of tornadoes that the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center recorded for the first three months of 2023. This is an all-time high, surpassing 2017’s count of 398.
Key Background
Citing experts, NBC News reported that the surge in the number of tornadoes in the first three months of the year has likely been caused by “a warmer-than-usual winter across the South.” The number of such twisters is expected to go up now as the months of April, May and June are considered the most active part of the country’s tornado season. Earlier this month, 26 people were killed across the Midwest and the South after the regions were hit by several tornadoes.
Further Reading
2 dead as severe storms, tornadoes move through central U.S. (Associated Press)
478 tornado reports across 25 states: How a mild winter led to destruction (NBC News)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/04/20/at-least-two-dead-and-thousands-left-without-power-after-thunderstorms-and-tornadoes-strike-central-us/