A deadly tornado outbreak swept across western Oklahoma on Thursday (March 5), killing two people and setting the stage for an even larger storm threat that is expanding eastward today, Friday (March 6).
According to KFOR in Oklahoma City, several tornadoes touched down across western Oklahoma Thursday night. Confirmed damage included struck structures near Helena, with reports of destroyed barns and mobile homes. Power outages and downed power lines were widespread along highways between Jett and Nash.
One tornado near Helena produced a debris field more than a mile wide. It was described as life-threatening as it moved toward Nash before crossing near Medford and heading into Kansas. Oklahoma Highway Patrol responded to the scene near Jet, and fire crews were dispatched to the Medford area, where a multi-vortex tornado crossed Highway 11.
Melissa Mayes, deputy director of the Washington County Emergency Management Agency in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, said the storm system is a significant early-season event. “This is probably our first real event this season where people are really starting to pay attention getting into the spring storm season,” she said.
Today, the threat grows. According to the national Storm Prediction Center, more than six million Americans face the highest risk of severe weather Friday in areas that include Kansas City and Tulsa. Another 22 million people are at a slightly lower but still serious risk across a wider zone that takes in Oklahoma City, St. Louis, Omaha, Nebraska, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Meteorologists say the dangerous setup is being driven by warm air pushing north from the Gulf Coast colliding with cooler Canadian air behind cold fronts, according to AccuWeather.
Beyond the tornado threat, federal forecasters warn that the same weather pattern will push temperatures 20 to 30 degrees above normal across parts of the eastern United States this weekend. Louisville, Kentucky, is expected to hit 81 degrees Friday. Atlanta could reach 82 degrees by Saturday, and Washington, D.C., may see 74 degrees.
Emergency managers are urging residents across the threat zone to monitor local weather alerts, have a safety plan ready, and know where to shelter before storms arrive.
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