Fallin Declares State Of Emergency For 15 Oklahoma Counties After Tornadoes Kill 2

Two people were killed when several large, violent tornadoes moved through south-central Oklahoma Monday afternoon. One tornado destroyed several homes and left a significant trail of damage in Garvin County near the communities of Wynnewood, Roff, and Hickory.

Johnston County Emergency Manager Jason Bryant says another person was killed in a rural area near Connerville.

Updated 4:47 p.m.

Gov. Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency Tuesday for 15 Oklahoma counties affected by Monday's storms. The National Weather Service says the outbreak spawned at least seven tornadoes in the Norman Forecast Office's area. The strongest was an EF3 tornado in the community of Katie, which broke up before it crossed Interstate 35 and then reformed near Sulpher.

Atoka Bryan, Choctaw, Cleveland, Coal, Comanche, Garvin, Johnston, Kay, McCurtain, Murray, Noble, Payne, Stephens, and Tillman counties were all included in the declaration, which allows state agencies to make emergency purchases related to recovery efforts in those counties. It's also the initial step toward receiving federal aid.

Credit Norman Forecast Office / National Weather Service

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National Weather Service

National Weather Service survey teams spent the day in southern Oklahoma recording damage. An EF3 tornado typically has wind speeds between 136 and 165 miles per hour, and meteorologists said the Katie and Sulpher tornadoes were likely on the upper end of that spectrum.

Updated May 10, 6:50 a.m.

Meteorologists and emergency officials are going to spend Tuesday surveying the damage to try to assign an intensity rating to the tornadoes that affected the state Monday afternoon.

National Weather Service Warning Coordination Meteorologist Rick Smith says teams will primarily concentrate on areas stretching from Elmore City, Wynnewood, and Hickory and Roff, and a path from Mill Creek to Bromide to Atoka.

"We will view every home that got damaged," Garvin County Emergency Manager Bud Ramming told NPR. "We will do damage assessments of the homes, and we'll have a complete count of the homes that did get damaged or destroyed."

Coal County Deputy Emergency Management Director Troy Hudson says several homes were damaged and a radio station was destroyed at the Atoka and Coal county line.
 

Lisa Buckner made it to her storm shelter shortly before the storm arrived at her home near Interstate 35 and Elmore City. When she emerged, all that was left was a concrete slab.
 

"And I just seen everything, I think I kind of went into shock a little bit," Buckner said.

The American Red Cross opened an aid station at the Crossway First Baptist Church in Sulpher. Aid workers and volunteers are providing disaster relief supplies and food until 7 p.m.Updated 6:40 p.m.

The severe weather threat has largely ended for central Oklahoma. Authorities are now working to determine the extent of the damage, and if there are any more injuries or fatalities related to the storm. 

Updated 6:06 p.m.

The National Weather Service says Tornado Warnings continue for Payne, Coal and Bryan counties due to storms moving through Stillwater and Atoka. The storm near Stillwater is not affecting the Oklahoma State University campus.

Johnston County Emergency Manager Jason Bryant says two homes were destroyed near Deadman Springs Road and State Highway 7 in a rural area roughly halfway between Tishomingo and Wapanucka. Power poles and lines are down, and there were reports of loose cattle in the roadway.

Updated 5:45 p.m.

A thunderstorm that produced a few brief tornadoes continues to move through Pottawatomie County south and east of the Oklahoma City metro. The communities of Shawnee and Bethel Acres are in the path of the storm that formed over Lake Thunderbird in far east Oklahoma around 5 p.m.

Most of Oklahoma City, Norman, and areas west of Interstate 35 aren't affected by severe storms as a dryline continues to move east. The dry conditions behind that boundary are not conducive to severe weather.

Credit Oklahoma Mesonet

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Oklahoma Mesonet

Updated 5:04 p.m.

National Weather Service meteorologists have issued a Tornado Emergency, the most severe classification, for Murray and Pontotoc County due to a large, violent tornado moving through the area.

Murray County Emergency Manager Neil Mayo reported house damage, and spotters report the twister is anywhere from half-a-mile to a mile wide. Damage has also been reported in the community of Hickory.

A second storm capable of producing a tornado is also moving through far east Norman, east of Lake Thunderbird.

Original Post

A large, well-defined tornado moved through Garvin County near the communities of Wynnewood and Joy on Monday afternoon, one day after a tornado hit Stephens County.

At least one home was destroyed near Wynnewood, but there are no injuries reported. The owner wasn't home, and arrived back at his property while it was being searched by first responders.

The National Weather Service has also issued a Tornado Warning for eastern Cleveland County and Pottawatomie County due a storm east of Norman moving toward the communities of Little Axe, Pink, and Shawnee. Dime-sized hail fell in parts of Norman during that storm.

The eastern two-thirds of Oklahoma are under a Severe Thunderstorm Watch, and Weather Service meteorologists have also issued a Tornado Watch for the southeast Oklahoma.

Credit Oklahoma Mesonet

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Oklahoma Mesonet

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