The tornadoes that ripped through Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas on Thursday left a trail of destruction in their wake – and more tornadoes are expected through Friday.
The destruction is revealed in dramatic videos that show overturned trucks, fiery explosions, and debris strewn across neighborhoods and highways. Severe weather will continue through Friday – with a possible ‘baseball-sized hail’ in some areas.
One clip filmed in Texas shows power lines catching fire just feet from people’s homes as a tornado passes through. National Weather Service teams planned to head out Friday to scan areas for potential tornado damage in the storm’s path, which stretched from southeastern Oklahoma into neighboring Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana.
Terrifying weather is coming across the region as swathes of California are buried under a rare dose of heavy snow this week.
Eight million people in the South are under a moderate to severe storm threat as giant tornadoes devastate Texas and Louisiana.
A brutal tornado ripped through a residential neighborhood in Northlake (pictured) and Winsboro, Texas, leaving residents traumatized as the major tornado passed.
Eight million people in the South are under a moderate to severe storm threat while giant hurricanes devastate Texas and Louisiana.
Another tornado was seen in Shreveport, Texas (pictured)
A tree fell in McKinney, Texas, after the storm passed
The Dallas suburb of Richardson told residents to stop using water after the storm knocked out power to pumping stations. North of Dallas, the winds downed trees, ripped the roof off a grocery store and overturned four 18-wheelers along U.S. Highway 75. Police stated that only minor injuries were reported.
In Louisiana, a tornado struck near Louisiana State University in Shreveport.
More than 310,000 utility customers in Texas did not have electricity as of Thursday night, according to poweroutage.us.
FlightAware.com reports that Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field have recorded more than 400 cancellations, both to and from airports.
Forecasters said the storm system will continue its eastward march on Friday, bringing the risk of severe weather to the Ohio and Tennessee River valleys. Snow was likely to produce across the eastern Great Lakes and New England later in the day.
Meteorologists say the same storm produced “once-in-a-generation” snow in California and Oregon with up to 7 feet (2 meters) of accumulation in patches.
However, the snowfall has been credited with helping to reduce and eliminate drought conditions in California in some areas.
Many schools across the typhoon-hit south were closed Friday due to power outages and debris and damage to school grounds.
Roads were closed in Greenville, Texas, because multiple brick buildings sustained damage in the storm.
In Louisiana, a tornado struck near Louisiana State University.
The storm is expected to move across the Ohio Valley on Friday and northwest by evening.
Two cars are seen crumpled on top of each other in Oklahoma after a tornado passed through
Snow has also been seen in Sherman, Texas, though
Hurricane warnings were also issued for the Dallas-Fort Worth area, trapping travelers at Dallas Love Field Airport in the storm’s lair, including professional tennis player Toby Kudat (pictured), who was traveling back from a tournament in Waco, Texas.
Heavy snow and high winds are set to sweep through the southwestern states bringing with them 45 mph gusts and up to eight inches of snow, before moving north over the Rocky Mountains and into the Pacific Northwest and upper Midwest throughout Friday.
They’re tracking the historic snowstorms that rocked California this week, dumping seven feet of snow and prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency to aid recovery.
As the west freezes, a swath of unusually warm air is expected to settle over the southern plains and move east, bringing with it a hive of intense storms that could herald baseball-sized hail and conditions ripe for dangerous tornadoes.
In the Northeast, New York is expected to see snow change to a sleet-winter mix, and parts of New England could be buried under up to 12 inches of snow.
The Golden State turned white this week after rare snowstorms buried parts of the state under several feet of snow, even flaking at Disneyland and blanketing the hills behind the Hollywood Sign.
Radar shows the large storm cluster moving across the southern United States
Governor Newsom deployed the National Guard on Wednesday to help residents, especially in San Bernardino County, where some have been trapped in their homes for days.
The National Weather Service issued wind, freeze and winter storm warnings across the sunny state in effect through Thursday as temperatures reached below-freezing lows of 26 degrees Fahrenheit in certain areas.
The National Guard is working with local law enforcement to open shelters for residents and help deliver food and water to those trapped, according to the governor’s office.
High winds in Texas took Potty Harbor for a road trip
Southern California’s mountain ranges have been hit with several feet of snow and residents have begged the governor to help clear roads as food and water supplies run low.
“There are roofs collapsing everywhere, and people need help and rescue. All stores are running out of food and water supplies. The gas stations barely have any gas,” Lake Arrowhead resident Mia Nelson told KTLA.
We need to clean up our roads so people can get out of their homes. They are all trapped.
Counties named in the emergency declaration include Amador, Kern, Los Angeles, Madeira, Mariposa, Mono, Nevada, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Sierra, Sonoma and Tulare.
Some areas not included in the declaration have not been evacuated, including residents of Olympic Valley, east of Sacramento.
An avalanche hit an apartment building in the area around 7 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Sierra Sun, and numerous photos from around the state showed people in snowfall with white walls climbing over doors and even second-story windows.
Snowfall on the mountains in Southern California (pictured)
The Golden State turned white this week after rare snowstorms buried parts of the state under several feet of snow.
Governor Newsom deployed the National Guard on Wednesday to help residents, especially in San Bernardino County, where some have been trapped in their homes for days.
Snow blanketed cacti and other green spaces in Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday
A child plays in the snow in Mount Baldy, California, on Wednesday after a heavy snowfall in Southern California
The Hollywood sign looked straight out of a movie and the snow-capped mountains behind it
A man brushes snow off his car in Crestline, Calif., Wednesday morning
A California front door home is back full of snow
Source: | This article originally belonged to Dailymail.co.uk