At least 5 injured after heavy rains and tornadoes rip through parts of Oklahoma

On By Littum

At least five people were injured after heavy rain and tornadoes tore through Oklahoma Saturday night and into Sunday morning.

It’s unclear how many tornadoes affected the state, but left in their wake was damage to multiple structures, downed power lines, traffic lights and trees, according to the Oklahoma City Fire Department. Video shows Newcastle Elementary School in the Oklahoma City metro area sustained extensive damage, including tiles falling from the facade of the building.

An aerial view of damaged cars surrounded by debris on the road and a lawn
Storm damage in Oklahoma Sunday.KFOR

Elsewhere in Oklahoma City, piles of debris, including wood and sheetrock, could be seen scattered around a community. According to the fire department, assessments to determine the full extent of the damage are still ongoing.

Five people were taken to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, while several others sought treatment on their own, according to fire department spokesman Scott Douglas. It’s not clear if they were injured as a result of the tornadoes or the heavy rainfall, but firefighters said they responded to several vehicles that had been flooded.

Oklahoma and the rest of the central and southern plains are still undecided.

The severe weather is expected to continue Sunday, “with the heaviest precipitation expected to affect central to eastern Oklahoma in parts of northwestern Arkansas and southern Missouri,” according to an advisory from the National Weather Service.

“Several rounds of severe-to-severe thunderstorms are possible today into tonight across parts of the southern Plains,” the weather service’s Storm Prediction Center said in an update. “Tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail are possible.”

Monday night, the threat of severe weather will shift toward Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, the Mid-Mississippi Valley and the Midwest.

Most of Oklahoma remains flooded with a threat of heavy rainfall, and over 51,000 utility customers are without power as of 1 p.m. 10:30 a.m. ET, according to Power outage.US.