Tornadoes Are More Powerful Than We Realize

A cold front pushed eastward from the Plains to the East Coast and brought tornadoes, hail, damaging winds and flooding, this past week.

There were eight reports of tornadoes in north-central Texas Wednesday night into early Thursday morning.

A few buildings were damaged and about 100 vehicles in a parking lot were damaged or destroyed by an EF2 tornado near Abilene, Texas early Thursday.

An EF1 tornado caused major damage to a home near Tye, Texas, some 10 miles west of Abilene. The Tye Police Department also reported minor injuries.

Two tornadoes were confirmed near Graham, Texas, including an EF1 tornado that damaged multiple homes and injured two people Wednesday night.

A tornado damaged about a dozen houses Thursday near Sunfield, Illinois, and camper trailers were blown across a field. A tornado also overturned trailers and damaged homes in Dahlgren, Illinois.

Baseball-size hail was reported in Catarina, Texas, Thursday evening.

Additionally, flash flooding was reported Thursday morning in northeastern Oklahoma and southwestern Missouri. The flooding prompted a water rescue in Ozark, Missouri.

On Thursday, the Branson City Campground was evacuated in Missouri due to heavy rain and water releases from Table Rock Lake.

Heavy rains and flooding washed out a bridge in southeast Indiana early Friday morning. Five people are dead and one is missing after at least two vehicles plunged into Sanes Creek near the town of Laurel early Friday morning.

Heavy rain has prompted flash flooding in parts of Ohio and trailer parks were evacuated in Heath and Camden early Friday. Roadways have been flooded in southern Ohio and several rescues from vehicles were reported, including near Englewood, Ohio. High water on Interstate 71 south of downtown Columbus, Ohio, was reported Friday morning.

Farther east, State Route 79 in Licking County was closed due to the road being washed out early Friday.

A few gusty thunderstorms are moving eastward through New England. Some storms are producing wind gusts as high as 65 mph, and winds remain gusty behind this line.

Trees and power lines were knocked down across multiple locations in the northern Adirondacks. Winds gusted to 68 mph at Fort Drum, New York, and to 59 mph near Massena and Edwardsville.

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.