7 injured in Texas tornadoes, storms; blizzard warnings issued in 6 states as massive winter storm rocks US

John Bacon, Terry Collins and Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY
·7 min read
2k

Looking for latest updates on winter storms? This story is a recap of weather from Tuesday, Dec. 13. Read here for the latest forecast and storm updates for Wednesday, Dec. 14.

***

A massive winter storm roaring across the West dumped up to 4 feet of snow in parts of Nevada and Idaho, fueled blizzard warnings in six other states, and spawned tornadoes that injured several people in the South.

More than 25 million Americans were under dangerous weather watches and warnings Tuesday. The storm's march across the nation could last through the weekend when parts of the northeast could be blasted with more than a foot of snow, forecasters warned.

"This is a 'we are not kidding' kind of storm," the South Dakota Department of Transportation tweeted as it warned of road closures across much of the state. "BLIZZARD and ICE STORM WARNINGS have been issued. Rain/freezing rain and heavy snow coupled with high winds will impact travel."

The powerful storm system left some southern communities in shambles. There were multiple reports of injuries in the south, mainly in Texas and Louisiana, as tornadoes and storms tore through the region.

Rain from a winter storm creates icy conditions on Tuesday in Sioux Falls, SD.
Rain from a winter storm creates icy conditions on Tuesday in Sioux Falls, SD.

6 states face blizzard conditions

Parts of Nebraska, Colorado, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and Kansas were facing blizzard conditions – snow with winds of at least 35 mph, reducing visibilities to a quarter of a mile or less – and several other states faced winter storm and ice storm warnings, the National Weather Service said.

The Nebraska Department of Transportation closed stretches of Interstate 80 and Interstate 76. The Nebraska State Patrol urged people to stay off the roads.

“There’s essentially no one traveling right now,” said Justin McCallum, a manager at the Flying J truck stop at Ogallala, Nebraska.

In Colorado, the weather service office in Boulder said state transportation department cameras showed "deteriorating conditions across the plains" Tuesday. The heaviest snow reported in the past 24 hours happened in the northern and western areas of the state, including 10 inches in Stoner and more than 8 inches in Steamboat Springs, according to AccuWeather.

The storm was forecast to rage through Wednesday, and the weather service said most roads in northeast Colorado were closed. Conditions were expected to worsen amid heavy snow and wind gusts that could reach 60 mph.

Parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota have also been dealing with freezing rain, according to AccuWeather. Residents from these states have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel due to icy roads and outages may be possible due to strong winds and as ice accumulates on power lines.

Communities in South Dakota have also seen piles of snow on Tuesday with some seeing 18 inches of snow, AccuWeather said.

GRAPHICS: Major winter storm to bring significant weather hazards across the US

7 injured in Texas tornadoes, storms

Tornado sirens blared across much of North Texas as a line of storms tore through the Dallas area, and social media posts depicted extensive damage. The weather service office in Fort Worth confirmed Tuesday that five tornadoes touched down and as many as 12 may have occurred.

Three of the tornadoes touched down in Tarrant County, one in Wise County and one west of Paris, Texas in Lamar County.

"Line continues to move east producing isolated tornadoes, damaging winds, and hail up to quarter size," the Fort Worth office tweeted.

In Grapevine, 20 miles northwest of Dallas, at least five people were injured, and a Sam's Club, a Walmart and the Grapevine Mills Mall were shut down due to damage, police said. Several other businesses in the area also were damaged, police said in a Facebook post.

Emergency management officials in Dallas warned wind gusts could reach 70 mph and that hail was possible. Dallas-Fort Worth Airport briefly activated a "shelter in place" program.

"We ask that you move away from windows & exteriors," airport authorities said in a Tuesday morning tweet. "Shelter in enclosed spaces if you are at the airport. Please do not travel to the airport until the tornado warning is deactivated."

The alert was later cleared by the National Weather Service, but the airport urged travelers to "please check the weather in your area before traveling to the airport, and check with your airline for the latest on your flight status."

Meanwhile, at least two people were reported injured in Decatur, Texas, about 70 miles northwest of Dallas. One person was hurt when wind overturned their vehicle, and another in a separate vehicle was hurt by flying debris, the county's emergency management office said. One person was taken to the hospital and the other was treated at the scene.

Additionally, numerous homes and businesses were damaged due to the severe weather that hit east of Paradise and south of Decatur in Wise County, according to CNN.

1 injured, 2 missing in Louisiana after tornado

A tornado spun through Caddo Parish, Louisiana, about 10 miles northwest of Shreveport on Tuesday night — leaving one person injured and two others missing, according to Caddo Parish police. Local authorities have been searching for the two missing through the debris after the tornado damaged several structures and other infrastructure.

Tornado damages homes in Oklahoma

At least one tornado touched down Tuesday in south central Oklahoma. No deaths or injuries were immediately reported in the McClain County town of Wayne, 40 miles south of Oklahoma City. County Sheriff’s Capt. Bryan Murrell said damage was widespread in Wayne, where storm sirens are tested every Friday when the weather is sunny, according to the town's website.

"We’ve got multiple family structures with significant damage," he said, adding that power lines were down in and around the town.

A structure is damaged after a tornado touched down in Wayne, Okla., early Tuesday. Millions of people in the central U.S. from the Rocky Mountains to the Midwest are bracing for blizzard-like conditions from a massive storm blowing across the country. States farther to the south, including Texas and Oklahoma, saw tornadoes early Tuesday, with some damage reported in Oklahoma.

'WHITEOUT CONDITIONS:Winter storm could fuel blizzard conditions, travel havoc across swath of US

Ice storm could darken parts of Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota

The weather service said that parts of Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota could see a half-inch of ice and wind gusts of up to 45 mph. Power outages, tree damage, falling branches and hazardous travel conditions threatened the region, and the impact could remain into the weekend.

"Gusty winds could blow around unsecured objects," the weather service in Iowa warned. "Be sure to secure outdoor holiday decorations. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result."

In Minnesota and South Dakota, a mix of rain, freezing rain and snow on Tuesday will give way to slushy Wednesday morning commutes before getting drier later in the day.

The weather will likely transition to potentially double-digit amounts of snow that could blanket Minnesota and the Dakotas Thursday through Saturday, said Tyler Hasenstein, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen, Minn.

"It's been a doozy for sure," Hasenstein said. "The precipitation is constantly changing and has been hard to pin down until it actually hits us."

East Coast won't be spared

AccuWeather said the storm will create a "spinoff system" along the East Coast that could bring a foot of snow or more to parts of the Northeast along with icy conditions and coastal flooding.

"A storm will develop near southeastern Virginia on Thursday, track just off the New Jersey coast on Friday and finally spin near southeastern New England on Saturday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said. She forecast a widespread snowfall for a large part of the region.

BE PREPARED: The key for how to survive a blizzard? Plan ahead

Tornado conditions target Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi

In addition to Oklahoma and Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi could draw "severe hail, winds, and tornadoes, including the potential for a couple strong tornadoes," the weather service said.

AccuWeather warned that the line of storms will gain intensity and become more widespread as it slides east. Tuesday's severe weather could stretch into major population centers beyond Dallas, including Houston, Little Rock, Arkansas; and New Orleans, AccuWeather said.

Anchorage schools set to reopen after 'unprecedented' storms

Even Alaska wasn't safe – a series of record-breaking storms forced the closure of Anchorage schools for a week, unprecedented in a city accustomed to dealing with wintry conditions.

"Barring any unforeseen weather conditions in the next 12 hours, it’s back-to-school tomorrow as best we can given these unprecedented back-to-back snow storms," the district said in a Facebook post on Monday. "It’s going to take patience and planning as a community to make it happen."

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Winter storm forecast: Latest updates on blizzard warnings, tornadoes