A line of severe thunderstorms spanning hundreds of miles swept across the central and southern Plains Sunday evening, injuring at least a dozen people and bringing destruction at the hands of rare February tornadoes in Oklahoma, plus straight-line wind gusts that topped 80 to 100 mph.
Tornado sirens wailed across the Oklahoma City metro area as multiple twisters were spotted while the severe storms raced through the region late Sunday evening.
There were several reports of damage to homes, trees and power lines in nearby Norman, home to the University of Oklahoma and NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center. Storm spotters had reported tornado sightings, and Doppler radar indicated debris lofted as high as 7,000 feet in the air, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
At least 12 people were injured and hospitalized during the storms in Norman, though no victims had critical injuries and there are no reports of any deaths in town, according to city officials.
B.C. Begley 