At least 11 people were injured after heavy rain and tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma Saturday night leading into Sunday morning.
It's unclear how many tornadoes impacted the state, but left in their wake was damage to several structures, downed power lines, traffic lights and trees, according to the Oklahoma City Fire Department. Video shows that Newcastle Elementary School in the Oklahoma City metro area sustained major damage, including tiling that fell off of the building's facade.
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Elsewhere in Oklahoma City, mounds of debris, including wood and sheetrock, could be seen strewn about around a community. Assessments to ascertain the full extent of the damage are still underway, but Enhanced Fujita level 3 damage (136 to 165 mph winds) was found in Harrah, central Oklahoma, and EF-1 damage (86 to 110 mph winds) was found in Newcastle, according to the National Weather Service field office in Norman. The Enhanced Fujita Scale is a rating system used to class tornadoes based on wind speed.
Eleven people in Oklahoma County were transported by ambulances to hospitals, according to the field office.
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In Oklahoma City, five people were taken to local hospitals with non-life threatening injuries, while several others sought treatment on their own, according to fire department spokesperson Scott Douglas. It's not clear whether they were injured as a result of the tornadoes or the heavy rainfall, but the fire department said they responded to several vehicles that had been flooded.
11/1: Multiple rounds of severe storms are possible this weekend into early next week across the southern + central Plains. All hazards are possible including damaging wind, large hail, and tornadoes. Stay tuned for possible changes to the forecast. https://t.co/QMmU4tCxt1 pic.twitter.com/Ia71t17nVH
— NWS Storm Prediction Center (@NWSSPC) November 1, 2024
Oklahoma and the rest of the central and southern plains are not yet in the clear.
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The severe weather is expected to stick around Sunday, "with the heaviest rainfall expected to impact central to eastern Oklahoma into portions of northwestern Arkansas and southern Missouri," according to an advisory from the National Weather Service.
"Multiple rounds of strong-severe thunderstorms are possible today through tonight over parts of the southern Plains," the weather service's storm prediction center said in an update. "Tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail are possible."
By Monday night, the threat of severe weather will shift towards Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, the Mid-Mississippi Valley and the Midwest.
Most of Oklahoma remains under flood watch with a threat of heavy rainfall and over 51,000 utility customers do not have power as of 10:30 a.m. E.T., according to Poweroutage.US.
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