Severe storms swept across North Texas Saturday night, spawning destructive tornadoes and widespread damage. A large wedge tornado tore through Runaway Bay; the National Weather Service rated it EF2 with estimated winds up to 135 mph. Dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed, roofs and fences were ripped apart, and hundreds of homes and businesses lost power. Officials reported at least two fatalities and six injuries.
Nearby in Springtown, lightning ignited a storage tank that triggered a massive blaze and explosion. Residents described a terrifying night, with some saying they felt their houses lift. Authorities declared a county disaster and emergency crews assisted with rescues, damage assessments and clearing downed power lines and debris.
Meteorologists said the outbreak was part of a larger, long-lived supercell complex that has produced tornadoes from Texas into the Plains, including a violent tornado that carved a long path through Enid, Oklahoma, earlier in the week. Forecasts from the National Weather Service and CBS meteorologist Rob Marciano warned the threat was not over: renewed energy moving out of the Rockies into an unstable Plains air mass could fuel additional storms.
Tornado watches were issued for northern Texas and southern Oklahoma and were extended into parts of Arkansas and the Midwest. At one point more than 1 million people were under a tornado threat, and over 2.5 million were in areas at risk for severe storms, including large hail and damaging winds. Forecasters said the next 48 hours would remain volatile, with an elevated tornado risk as the system shifts east into the Central Plains and the Midwest. Cities at increased risk included Tulsa, Springfield and Joplin, followed by St. Louis, Indianapolis and Chicago.
Another round of storms was expected Tuesday into Wednesday across a corridor from Dallas to Little Rock, Memphis and Nashville. At the same time, very dry air combined with strong winds raised fire danger in parts of the Texas Panhandle and the High Plains of New Mexico, producing critical to extremely critical fire-risk conditions. Officials urged residents to monitor watches and warnings and to follow local emergency guidance.