Hundreds of thousands lose power as storms slam the country
Nearly 415,000 residents were without power across five states on Sunday after a series of severe storms ripped through the central U.S. overnight.
Deadly storms tore across Texas, Arkansas and Oregon starting Saturday night, destroying homes and cars while forcing dozens of residents into shelter. By Monday, forecasters said the storms will move toward the east, stretching from Alabama to near New York City, The Associated Press (AP) reported.
The weather prompted widespread power outages in the central U.S. Tracking website poweroutage.org estimated 415,929 residents were without power as of 5:05 p.m. EST in Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, Texas and Tennessee. About 200,523 of these outages were reported in Kentucky, the website noted.
At least 15 people have been killed in the storms' wake, including seven deaths in Cooke County, Texas, near the Oklahoma border after a tornado tore through the area Saturday night. The storm caused “significant damage to numerous homes and businesses,” according to a statement from Cooke County Emergency Management.
At least five people were killed in Arkansas, including a 26-year-old woman who was found dead outside of a home in Boone County, per the AP, citing Daniel Bolen of the county’s emergency management office. Another person died in Benton County, and two other bodies were found in Marion County, the news wire added.
Two people were also killed in Mayes County, Okla., the AP reported, citing local officials. One person died in Louisville, Ky., as a result of the storms, Mayor Craig Greenberg (D) said on the social platform X, warning residents additional severe weather is expected.
The severe weather comes amid a deadly tornado season in the U.S. Last week, five people died and another 35 were injured in Iowa as dangerous tornadoes ripped through the state, per local officials.
April experienced the second-highest amount of tornadoes recorded ever in the month, with 384 preliminary tornado reports, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.
The Associated Press contributed.