Photos

Photos Show Damage After Deadly Tornado Strikes In Oklahoma

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Tornado damage is seen in Cole, Okla., on Thursday, April 20, 2023, after a tornado struck the night before. (Aaron Rigsby / LSM)

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Tornado damage is seen in Cole, Okla., on Thursday, April 20, 2023, after a tornado struck the night before. (Aaron Rigsby / LSM)

At a Glance

Multiple tornadoes struck in central Oklahoma Wednesday night, killing at least three.
The storms caused extensive damage in Cole, Oklahoma, as well as the town of Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Photos show the damage left behind.

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Multiple tornadoes ravaged parts of central Oklahoma Wednesday night, killing at least three people.

Photos show major damage in Cole, Oklahoma, with roofs torn off homes and collapsed walls. Preliminary surveys report EF3 damage in the town. Several people were injured in McClain County, where two of the reported fatalities occurred.

(MORE: Deadly Tornado Strikes Oklahoma Town)

Extensive damage was also reported in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in neighboring Pottawatomie County, where what was likely a separate tornado struck. Two people sustained minor injuries. Debris and downed power lines forced the closure of several roads, which complicated search efforts, including north and southbound US-177 between Farrall Street and Kickapoo Spur in Shawnee, and all lanes of east and westbound State Highway 74B between SH-74 and SH-76.

Nearly 16,000 customers in the state were still without power on Thursday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us, with the majority being in Pottawatomie County.

Click through the slideshow above to see images of the tornado damage.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

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