Houston: At least 19 people, including two children, have been killed, homes destroyed and thousands plunged into darkness amid soaring temperatures as a powerful storm ripped through the Central US states of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
Seven deaths were reported in Cook County, Texas, near the Oklahoma border, where a tornado struck a rural area near a mobile home park Saturday night, officials said.
Cook County Sheriff Ray Sappington said, "It's just a trail of debris. The devastation is severe."
The sheriff said the dead included two children, ages two and five, and three family members.Sappington said the death toll was expected to rise as search and rescue operations continued for some people missing Sunday morning.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Sunday that about 100 people were injured in Saturday's tornadoes, but the exact number was "difficult to say with certainty," CBS News reported.
Abbott said more than 200 homes and other buildings were destroyed and more than 10 others were damaged. "I would be surprised if these numbers don't increase," the governor said.
A tornado destroyed homes and businesses, toppled mobile homes, and downed trees and power lines.Areas near the Valley View community were particularly hard hit. Valley View is about an hour north of Dallas by car.
The tornado overturned vehicles and closed a portion of the highway in the Greater Dallas area.
Authorities said several people in Denton County were transported to hospitals by ambulance and helicopter, but the extent of their injuries was not immediately clear.
Valley View Police Chief Justin Stamps told CBS News on Sunday that the death toll in that community could be as high as six.Hugo Parra, who lives in Farmers Branch, north of Dallas, said he rode out the storm in a gas station bathroom with about 40 to 50 other people.
More than 470,000 people were without power in states stretching from Texas to Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, according to the Power Outage website.
The storm also killed two people and damaged homes in Oklahoma, where guests at an outdoor wedding were injured.
At least eight people were reportedly murdered, including a 26-year-old woman found dead outside a destroyed home in Olaway, a small community in Boone County, Arkansas, according to Daniel Bolen of the county's Office of Emergency Management .
Three people died in Benton County, Arkansas, the Arkansas Office of Emergency Management confirmed to CBS News.Two people died in Oklahoma, Michael Dunham, deputy director of Mays County Emergency Management, confirmed to Weather.com.
Dunham said search and rescue efforts were ongoing, with teams going door-to-door.
Extensive damage was reported in Claremore, where 23 people were injured.
Nineteen of the injured, three of whom suffered life-threatening injuries, were taken to local hospitals. The city was closed to traffic until noon on Sunday, except for identified residents.At least two deaths have been confirmed in Kentucky, according to a statement released on social media from Governor Andy Beshear.
National Weather Service meteorologist Zack Taylor said Sunday was the hottest day on record due to late May forecasts for Austin, Brownsville, Dallas and San Antonio.
Red flag fire warnings were also issued for parts of West Texas, all of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arizona and Colorado.
Humidity was very low, less than 10 percent, and winds as high as 60 mph were recorded.
The system that caused the latest severe weather was expected to move eastward for the rest of the Memorial Day holiday weekend.More severe storms were predicted in Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee. A tornado emergency was in effect in Kentucky Sunday night.
Forecasters said the risk of severe weather increased in North Carolina and Virginia on Monday.
Seven deaths were reported in Cook County, Texas, near the Oklahoma border, where a tornado struck a rural area near a mobile home park Saturday night, officials said.
Cook County Sheriff Ray Sappington said, "It's just a trail of debris. The devastation is severe."
The sheriff said the dead included two children, ages two and five, and three family members.Sappington said the death toll was expected to rise as search and rescue operations continued for some people missing Sunday morning.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Sunday that about 100 people were injured in Saturday's tornadoes, but the exact number was "difficult to say with certainty," CBS News reported.
Abbott said more than 200 homes and other buildings were destroyed and more than 10 others were damaged. "I would be surprised if these numbers don't increase," the governor said.
A tornado destroyed homes and businesses, toppled mobile homes, and downed trees and power lines.Areas near the Valley View community were particularly hard hit. Valley View is about an hour north of Dallas by car.
The tornado overturned vehicles and closed a portion of the highway in the Greater Dallas area.
Authorities said several people in Denton County were transported to hospitals by ambulance and helicopter, but the extent of their injuries was not immediately clear.
Valley View Police Chief Justin Stamps told CBS News on Sunday that the death toll in that community could be as high as six.Hugo Parra, who lives in Farmers Branch, north of Dallas, said he rode out the storm in a gas station bathroom with about 40 to 50 other people.
More than 470,000 people were without power in states stretching from Texas to Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, according to the Power Outage website.
The storm also killed two people and damaged homes in Oklahoma, where guests at an outdoor wedding were injured.
At least eight people were reportedly murdered, including a 26-year-old woman found dead outside a destroyed home in Olaway, a small community in Boone County, Arkansas, according to Daniel Bolen of the county's Office of Emergency Management .
Three people died in Benton County, Arkansas, the Arkansas Office of Emergency Management confirmed to CBS News.Two people died in Oklahoma, Michael Dunham, deputy director of Mays County Emergency Management, confirmed to Weather.com.
Dunham said search and rescue efforts were ongoing, with teams going door-to-door.
Extensive damage was reported in Claremore, where 23 people were injured.
Nineteen of the injured, three of whom suffered life-threatening injuries, were taken to local hospitals. The city was closed to traffic until noon on Sunday, except for identified residents.At least two deaths have been confirmed in Kentucky, according to a statement released on social media from Governor Andy Beshear.
National Weather Service meteorologist Zack Taylor said Sunday was the hottest day on record due to late May forecasts for Austin, Brownsville, Dallas and San Antonio.
Red flag fire warnings were also issued for parts of West Texas, all of New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arizona and Colorado.
Humidity was very low, less than 10 percent, and winds as high as 60 mph were recorded.
The system that caused the latest severe weather was expected to move eastward for the rest of the Memorial Day holiday weekend.More severe storms were predicted in Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee. A tornado emergency was in effect in Kentucky Sunday night.
Forecasters said the risk of severe weather increased in North Carolina and Virginia on Monday.
