2 dead as severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and winds threaten Texas, Oklahoma: Updates
At least two people are dead in Oklahoma after being caught in floodwaters as thunderstorms brought destructive winds and heavy rains across parts of that state and Texas, authorities said.
The threat of thunderstorms, flash flooding, and a chance of tornadoes hovered over the south-central part of the country, with some of the greatest risk in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and north Texas, forecasters said. North Texas, southeast Oklahoma, southwest Arkansas, and northwest Louisiana were all at an enhanced risk for tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds on April 30, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
The storms caused widespread flooding in parts of Oklahoma, resulting in at least two deaths, state and local authorities said. In Pottawatomie County, southeast of Oklahoma City, Sheriff Freeland Wood said a man drowned after his vehicle was swept off a roadway near an "area that is all too familiar with the dangers of high water."
A deputy "responded immediately" and entered the water to try to rescue the man, Wood said in a statement on Facebook. But the deputy was then caught in a current and "became trapped in a life-threatening situation," according to Wood. The deputy was treated at a local hospital and released.
Another drowning death was reported in Lincoln County, which is just north of Pottawatomie County, according to KOCO-TV. A person died after being caught in floodwaters, Oklahoma Highway Patrol told the television station.
The National Weather Service warned that the threat of thunderstorms in the region will likely continue into May 2, with risks spreading farther south and east.
"Portions of the Southern Plains are expected to see another round of thunderstorms late Thursday into Friday that could result in additional flash flooding," the weather service said. "Thunderstorms will also spread into the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys on Thursday. Some storms could be severe."
In the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, forecasters said hail up to 2 inches in diameter, damaging winds up to 70 mph, and a couple of tornadoes are possible. Meanwhile, up to 3 inches of rain with isolated areas of up to 6 inches could fall, bringing flood risks.
The threat comes a day after a severe weather outbreak that covered a large stretch of the country from Texas to the Northeast turned deadly in Pennsylvania, where at least two people were killed in storm-related electrocutions.
Chance for flooding remains high
The south-central region of the country will continue to see elevated risks of flash flooding through the beginning of May as heavy rain accompanies the severe thunderstorms in the area, the weather service said.
The rain comes as part of a stalled frontal boundary, forecasters said. Already saturated areas of southeastern Oklahoma into northeastern Texas and western Arkansas could see flash flooding.
More than 9 million people were under flood watches in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas and Missouri.
The areas surrounding the banks of the Mississippi River also continue to be under flood warnings and advisories. The river is now surging from runoff brought by historic rainfall in early April, AccuWeather reported.
Deadly weather outbreak was a derecho, AccuWeather says
The line of severe weather stretching from the south-central U.S. through upstate New York evolved into a derecho on April 29, according to AccuWeather.
A derecho, sometimes described as an inland hurricane, is a "a widespread, long-lived wind storm that is associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. They are storms that have sustained winds of at least 58 mph and a path of damage hundreds of miles long and can pack wind gusts in excess of 100 mph at times.
"This particular derecho extended from near the Ohio-Indiana border along and north of the Ohio River, eastward through western and into central Pennsylvania, spanning more than 400 miles," said AccuWeather Senior Director of Forecasting Operations Dan DePodwin.
At least three tornadoes were spotted in Oklahoma and Missouri on April 29, uprooting trees and damaging outbuildings in Tulsa, according to preliminary reports. Up to 5-inch-wide hail was seen in parts of Texas. Strong winds also toppled trees or caused property damage in Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois, Arkansas, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio and New York.
See the forecast map
Contributing: Gabe Hauari and Anthony Robledo, Paste BN
(This story was updated to add new information.)