A girl is dead and her mother is missing amid massive tornadoes that ripped through the southern United States on Tuesday as a major storm continues to make its way across the country.
The sheriff of Caddo Parish, Louisiana, said late Tuesday night that numerous mobile homes were destroyed in the area and even a local forest was cut down as the tornado tore through the neighborhood.
One woman was taken to a local hospital after the incident, KSLA reports, and two people were reported missing.
But at about 11:30 p.m., search efforts paid off, with Sheriff Steve Pator confirming the child’s body had been found, but her mother was still missing.
Deputies continue to go door-to-door to check on the welfare of parish residents as a dangerous storm continues to make its way across the central United States after already injuring 22 people in Utah and causing at least five twisters in Texas.
Michelle Light salvages belongings from her home in Salado, Texas after a tornado tore through the area
Mobile homes in Louisiana’s Caddo Parish were destroyed Tuesday after a tornado tore through the area
Meanwhile, at least five tornadoes were reported in Texas, carrying debris
Videos posted online show drivers trying to avoid the storms, which are sending torrential rain and storms to the area
A massive storm system is making its way across the central United States
At least 10 million people in the United States are now under winter weather watches or advisories as the major storm continues to move north.
It has already spawned at least five tornadoes in Texas on Tuesday alone, though experts suspect there may have been even more that have yet to be confirmed.
According to the National Weather Service Center in Fort Worth, three of the twisters were reported in Tarrant County, with the strongest rated EF-1, meaning they sustained wind gusts of 86 to 110 mph for at least three seconds.
The town of Grapevine, near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, also reported an EF-2 tornado with 125 mph winds that left up to five injured and damaged businesses including a local mall, Sam’s Clubs and a Walmart.
Gas stations were also destroyed, and drivers on one road were forced to move in one lane due to fallen trees and blocked sections of the road.
A smaller tornado was also reported just west of the city of Paris.
Officials will survey the damage in those areas on Wednesday.
But based on radar and damage reports, the National Weather Service says it expects there may have been as many as 12 tornadoes not yet confirmed in the area.
At least five tornadoes have been reported in Texas, though experts say there could be as many as 12 yet to be confirmed
Wayne, Oklahoma: A tornado reported in Oklahoma ripped roofs off homes
Drone video captured the damage in the town of Grapevine, near Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, which reported an EF-2 tornado with 125 mph winds that left up to five injured and damaged businesses, including a local mall. Sam’s Clubs and Walmart
Videos posted online showed the extent of the wind gusts as debris rose into the air and skies darkened in the middle of the day.
The storms tore a path of destruction across Oklahoma and the Dallas-Fort Worth area, injuring at least seven people, with two reported injuries occurring just outside of Dallas.
Authorities say one person was injured when strong winds overturned his car, while the other – who was also in a vehicle at the time – was injured by flying debris in Wise County.
They noted that one of the individuals was taken to a local hospital, but did not specify which one.
Strong winds also damaged trees and homes in Calisburg, north of Dallas, blew away tractor trailers near Millsap and Weatherford and damaged barns near Jacksboro.
Meanwhile, in Wayne, Oklahoma, a confirmed EF-2 tornado knocked out power and damaged homes, outbuildings and barns.
Homes there were seen flattened with roofs ripped off and trees snapped like twigs after the twister stayed on the ground for at least three miles with winds gusting up to 125 mph.
Meanwhile, in Nebraska, a “one-in-five-year” storm made its way through the state Tuesday and is expected to linger in the area through the end of the week, National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Taylor told CNN.
Blizzard warnings are now in effect across the state, the NWS posted online, with the state Department of Transportation saying several roads are closed — including all those leading from Nebraska to Colorado.
They expanded Tuesday from parts of Montana and Wyoming to northeastern Colorado, western Nebraska and South Dakota.
In a blizzard warning, there are at least three hours of sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35mh or more during periods of heavy snowfall and poor visibility
Similar conditions were already reported in the morning and early afternoon near the Colorado-Kansas state line, when visibility along I-70 was reduced to just 100 feet, according to a Kansas Highway Patrol spokesman.
Parts of Wyoming have also already reported between one and two feet of snow accumulation, with the state Department of Transportation saying the snow is blocking roads.
“Not one green stretch of road in the state,” the department said in a Facebook post Tuesday.
“High winds, blowing snow, whiteout conditions and slippery patches are affecting routes across the country (and some neighboring states!”
The department advised drivers to be aware of road conditions, noting that many streets in the state are closed due to crashes and other winter conditions.
And in Sidney, Nebraska, CNN reports, winds gusted to 53 miles per hour, leaving visibility there down to just a quarter of a mile.
Wintry weather is expected to drench the Northern Plains and upper Midwest
The storm system now threatens to create more damage to the south and blizzards to the north.
In the central and northern Plains and upper Midwest, CNN reports, heavy snow and/or freezing rain through Thursday could halt travel and threaten power outages.
Forecasters say snowfall totals could reach 10 to 18 inches by Wednesday morning across the central and northern Plains and Upper Midwest.
Areas in western South Dakota, eastern Wyoming and northwestern Nebraska, however, could receive 24 inches of snow with winds strong enough to knock down tree limbs and cause power outages.
Parts of eastern South Dakota are also under an ice storm warning, with forecasters there predicting they could see up to two-tenths of an inch of ice.
That wintry precipitation “will begin to spread eastward over the Upper Great Lakes late Tuesday and Wednesday and northeastward late Wednesday,” the state Department of Transportation warned.
A tornado watch also remains in effect for northeast Louisiana, southwest Arkansas and western Mississippi until 2 AM CST. It covers more than 1.5 million people in cities including Shreveport and Alexandria, Louisiana.
An increased risk of severe weather warning is in place for this area, while a mild risk area extends across eastern Texas and southern Oklahoma into Arkansas and much of Louisiana.
“A few tornadoes and some intense tornadoes [are] possible,” the Storm Prediction Center said.
Flash flooding is also possible in the region on Wednesday as damaging winds could reach 70 mph.
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