Videos: Winter Storm Causes Tornadoes to Rip Through North Texas and Southern Oklahoma
02:10 GMT 14.12.2022 (Updated: 17:50 GMT 15.01.2023)
© Twitter/ @mikeforbeswfaaNorth Texas tornado destroys several homes in Wise County
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The winter storm system which is now moving toward the US East is still threatening more damage in the South as blizzard conditions continue to wreak havoc in the North. The storm first landed in the West over the weekend, dumping heavy snow and prompting avalanche warnings in Northern California and Alaska.
A winter storm is moving across the US East after hammering much of the nation's western coastlines and leaving about 21 million people from Texas to Mississippi under severe storm warnings.
Another 14 million people in the north-central US have been placed under winter-weather warnings. In North Texas, at least five tornadoes were confirmed by the National Weather Service (NWS).
Several homes and possible injuries were reported in Decatur, Texas, which is located about 45 minutes northwest of Fort Worth, after a possible tornado touched down in the area. Lightning and heavy rain were visible in a video shared by a local news outlet.
A North Texas tornado destroyed several homes here in Wise county. This is along FM730 where power lines are down and debris is everywhere. pic.twitter.com/X1LLmXqizR
— Mike Forbes (@mikeforbeswfaa) December 13, 2022
Meanwhile, businesses, vehicles, trees and homes were destroyed in Grapevine, Texas, after a tornado spinning out of severe thunderstorms touched down in the area. Five people were also injured during the storm.
A tornado warning was first issued at 9:35 a.m., and according to the NWS, the tornado was first seen crossing west of Texas 114 near Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in Grapevine at about 9:37 a.m. local time.
@NBCDFWWeather @RickMitchellWX 114 in Grapevine - near Baylor hospital pic.twitter.com/xjU8tCzIsz
— Kyle Williamson (@KyleQWilliamson) December 13, 2022
Close to 8,000 customers in the Grapevine area also lost power in the early morning of Tuesday.
Grapevine Texas tornado damage. pic.twitter.com/HsNcsCqL0X
— RachelV (@RachelKrouse) December 13, 2022
A Sam’s Club in Grapevine sustained damage to its roof from the tornado, while the Grapevine Mills Mall also sustained heavy damage to the skylights in its food court. Photos of knocked over trees, downed telephone poles, and a damaged 18-wheeler in a Sam’s Club parking lot were shared on social media.
Major damage in #Grapevine caused by severe weather this morning.
— NBCDFW Weather (@NBCDFWWeather) December 13, 2022
Watch live weather updates here: https://t.co/Azd3kJf0o1#NBCDFWWeather
📷: @AlannaNBC5 pic.twitter.com/L9bH4lv2cS
A confirmed tornado also touched down in Wayne, Oklahoma, and was measured by the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale) as an EF2 tornado, which includes 113 to 157 mile per hour winds, and can cause “considerable damage” to homes, roofs, trains, vehicles and trees. The tornado in Wayne damaged homes, uprooted trees, knocked over power poles and damaged barns on Tuesday morning, but no injuries were reported, officials said.
The EF2 tornado touched down in Wayne for at least three miles, the NWS said, and carried with it wind speeds between 120 and 125 mph.
The storm is now moving through the central and northern Plains and Upper Midwest and will bring with it snow and/or freezing rain into Thursday. On Tuesday, blizzard warnings were extended from the states of Montana and Wyoming into northeastern Colorado, western Nebraska and South Dakota.
Meanwhile, snowfall through Wednesday morning in the central and northern Plains and Upper Midwest area will accumulate anywhere from 10 to 18 inches, while western South Dakota, eastern Wyoming and northwestern Nebraska could receive close to 24 inches of snow that will be accompanied by strong winds.
13 December 2022, 04:30 GMT
Blizzard-like conditions are expected to move into the northeast US, with meteorologists predicting the storm will create a “spinoff” system near the Atlantic coast that will bury inland areas of the Northeast in a foot or more of snow later this week.
"A storm will develop near southeastern Virginia on Thursday, and will track just off the New Jersey coast on Friday and finally spin near southeastern New England on Saturday," Mary Gilbert, an AccuWeather meteorologist said.
The storm will pull cold winds from Canada down into the Northeast causing snowfall in parts of New Hampshire, Vermont, upstate New York, and northern Pennsylvania on Friday while Portland, Boston, and New York City will experience rain and/or rain and snow.
By Saturday, about one to six inches of snow will hit Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, and much of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania while parts of New York, such as the higher elevated areas of the Catskills, could experience close to 12 to 18 inches of snow.