Due to a storm outbreak that began late Monday, millions of people were at serious risk of severe weather. At least four tornadoes were reported in Oklahoma, and other tornado warnings were issued for Kansas, Nebraska, and Tennessee. There have been reports of tornadoes in central and northeastern Oklahoma, one of which was reported in Barnsdall, which is located about 40 miles north of Tulsa. It was the second tornado to strike the area in around a month, and there were reports of damage and injuries in the Oklahoman towns of Barnsdall and Bartlesville. The Craig County Emergency Department stated on social media that the Welch Fire Department had reported that the roof of the old gymnasium at Welch School had been blown off. This was further east in the state. A week has passed since a tornado outbreak in Oklahoma claimed the lives of four individuals.
As storms travel eastward over the night, severe weather will still pose a hazard to the area. Serious warnings were released by forecasters at the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center for a massive tornado outbreak in the central United States that may affect millions of people from Texas to the Dakotas. The meteorological service continued to warn of an increasing chance of tornadoes by 9 p.m. A line of thunderstorm activity stretched from just west of Oklahoma City north through Iowa and into South Dakota. There were tornado alerts issued for Tennessee, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. A tornado watch with the possibility of “a few” tornadoes and damaging winds of up to 75 mph was also issued by the Storm Prediction Center for eastern Kansas and western and central Missouri through 4 a.m. The center followed up on its earlier “high risk” warning for parts of Oklahoma and Kansas, which includes the Oklahoma City metro region, with a warning for a “particularly dangerous situation” through 11 p.m. this afternoon. These alerts are seldom and are only issued on the worst days of severe weather.

Nebraska has severe weather and tornado warnings

Just before 9:30 p.m., the weather service in Nebraska issued a tornado warning for the counties of Nemaha and Otoe. The weather service issued a warning, stating that areas affected by the storms on April 26 may be affected by strong thunderstorms in the area. There have been reports of winds up to 60 mph in several areas of Nebraska and Iowa. On April 26, there were at least 18 tornadoes reported in Nebraska and Iowa, five of which were EF-3s. The meteorological agency said that hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed and that one person was killed by the storms. In over a decade, these tornadoes in eastern Nebraska or western Iowa were the fiercest on record. At least two funnel clouds—that is, clouds that did not touch down—have been observed in Kansas, according to the weather service office in Topeka. One of the clouds is located in Dickinson County, north of Chapman, while the other is located in Geary County, northwest of Moonlight. Radar has also confirmed the existence of a tornado close to Riley in Ogden County. There have also been reports of hailstones up to 4 inches in size in Moonlight and 2.75 inches in Riley.

Oklahoma confirms a tornado

A verified tornado was traveling eastward near Covington in Garfield County, Oklahoma. Garfield County also saw flash floods, resulting in at least one water rescue close to Covington. Near the county border separating Garfield and Kingfisher counties, the emergency management office of the county confirmed to the meteorological service that structures had been destroyed and trees had fallen. The Tulsa Weather Service office reported many reports of structure damage from a tornado in and around Barnsdall at about 9:40 p.m. Central Time. Storm chasers in the area also provided multiple images and videos of the damage. Bartlesville also reported damage.
A second line of storms, centered near the I-44 corridor, could form later in the evening and reach central and southern Oklahoma, including the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, the weather service warned. The most severe activity is expected to occur between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. Weather service meteorologists in Norman, Oklahoma, stated just before 8 p.m. Central Time that the storms were getting stronger and that there was a greater probability of tornadoes. The meteorological service said earlier in the evening that a rope tornado was confirmed by spotters and broadcast media around one mile south of Bison, Oklahoma. According to the weather service, a spotter in Kingfisher County reported uprooted trees, snapped power lines, and possible tornado-related damage to a home. When the tornado passed through Lacey, the county’s emergency management reported a downed electricity pole and line. There have been reports of hailstones up to 2.5 inches in size in the region. According to the weather service, broadcast media reported seeing a tornado 4 miles southeast of Okeene at 6:43 p.m. The meteorological agency said that skilled spotters in the northern portion of the state observed a very brief tornado around five miles south of Helena shortly after six o’clock in the evening.