Severe Weather Will Fire Up Again After Tornado Kills Three in Texas

Posted: June 16, 2023 1:44 pm

It was a deadly day of storms on Thursday across the U.S. with more severe weather on the way heading into the weekend. Over 50 million Americans are under the threat of severe weather on Friday, just one day after at least three people died in Perryton, Texas at the hands of a tornado.

Here is the latest on this developing weather situation.

Three People Dead After Tornado Hits Texas Panhandle

The deadly tornado spun up as part of a path of storms that cut through Texas and into Florida. This same storm system also sent up to 100 individuals in the Texas Panhandle to the hospital for treatment of a variety of injuries.

Residents describe a tornado that came out of nowhere and ripped through the town of Perryton, home to about 8,000 people. The greatest amount of damage happened in the northwest quadrant of the town, including the downtown and industrial areas as well as a large mobile park home complex.

The twister damaged severe mobile homes and businesses, including the local fire department building. Fire Chief Paul Dutcher confirmed that many of the department’s trucks sustained damage as the storm roared through.

Over 200,000 electricity customers in Texas woke up in the dark on Friday morning due to widespread power outages. More than 130,000 lost power in Louisiana with additional outages reported in neighboring Oklahoma and in Florida and Alabama.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has sent a variety of the state’s emergency resources to Perryton to help with the search and rescue efforts.

Flash Flooding in Florida Panhandle

In addition to the fatalities in Texas, one person is dead in Florida after a tree fell on their home in Escambia County. Flash flooding emergencies developed overnight, triggering a number of high water rescues.

The towns of West Pensacola and Gulf Breeze were hit particularly hard with the rising flood waters. Several roadways were still flooded when the sun rose on Friday morning. Almost 150 people living in an apartment complex were evacuated in Pensacola when the building was inundated with water.

The community of Warrington, located south of Pensacola, measured almost a foot of rain in a period of only three hours. In total, the town saw 16 inches of rain overnight with more moisture on tap in the Friday forecast.

Friday’s Forecast

Friday is set to bring much more of the same to a large part of the U.S., stretching across the central U.S, down into the Southeast, and across the Gulf coast. Another pocket of severe weather is expected in the interior Northeast and mid-Atlantic.

Cities in the Southeast and the Gulf Coast that are bracing for impact include Little Rock, Mobile, and Tallahassee. Potential hazards of these storms include large hail, strong winds, and tornadic activity. Forecasters warned earlier in the week that these storm cells could produce life-threatening derechos.

Cities on the East Coast that could see storms pop up Friday afternoon and evening include Philadelphia and Baltimore. The storms may also affect areas as far west as Denver.

The storms in the Northeast will ignite as a front arrives in the region, forming a boundary between the warm and moist air in place in the east and the cooler and drier air coming in from the west. The bulk of the storm activity will impact an area from eastern North Carolina up into New Jersey.

Plentiful amounts of moisture will set the stage for storm development, resulting in a good chance of heavy rain that raises the risk of flash flooding. High winds will also raise the risk of downed trees and power lines along with minor property damage. You can expect wind gusts topping 55 to 65 mph.

Friday’s storm threat will move to the east in the evening hours, bringing the potential impacts from the interior Northeast into the coastal areas.

Looking ahead to the weekend, the moisture is forecast to hang around in New England on Saturday as the area of low pressure heads to the north to start the weekend. This will pave the way for drier conditions in the mid-Atlantic for the Father’s Day holiday.

New England will see a drying out by Sunday with the chance of just an isolated rain shower. Be sure to check your hourly forecast if you have outdoor plans for dad this weekend.

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