Massive Storms Bring Blizzard, Tornadoes in Central US, Kills at Least 2 People

A devastating storm that swept across the country brought blizzard-like conditions to the Great Plains and predicted more severe weather on Wednesday in the South. It also produced tornadoes that touched down in certain areas of Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, where two fatalities were confirmed.

According to the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network, a line of storms carrying the potential for tornadoes and huge hail is expected to follow the "strong" cold front as it moves through Florida.

The front will bring a risk of lightning storms, which may cause temperatures to plummet by as much as 30 degrees in certain areas. The National Weather Service in Melbourne predicts that some may intensify into severe weather.

Massive US Storm Brings Blizzard, Tornadoes to South

Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office said sheriff's deputies, firemen, volunteers, and dog teams were combing the rubble after a tornado touched down roughly 10 miles (16 kilometers) from Shreveport, Louisiana. According to Sgt. Casey Jones, two persons were missing, one was injured, and multiple buildings were damaged.

"I think we're focused on searching for people. There's no rain. The weather is gone," he said in a Phys.org report a few hours after the tornado swept through Four Forts.

"I'm hoping they're with family somewhere," Jones said

Blizzard warnings were in effect for most of the northwest, extending from Montana into western Nebraska and Colorado. According to the National Weather Service, certain parts of western South Dakota and northern Nebraska may receive as much as 2 feet (61 cm) of snow. In the eastern Great Plains, ice and precipitation were anticipated.

The storm system is expected to sweep into the Northeast and the central Appalachians and engulf the upper Midwest in days' worth of ice, rain, and snow. Depending on the storm's timing, the National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch from Wednesday night through Friday afternoon, warning residents from West Virginia to Vermont to be on the lookout for a substantial potential combination of snow, ice, and sleet.

Severe Weather Kills At Least 2 People

Accuweather said Tuesday's severe weather wreaked havoc on the southern Plains, producing many tornadoes, at least five injuries, and at least two fatalities.

At least two individuals were killed by a violent tornado that touched down close to Four Forks, Louisiana, roughly 25 miles southwest of Shreveport, early Wednesday. According to the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office, a little kid whose home was devastated by the tornado was discovered dead in a forested area of Pecan Farms, a community located north of Four Forks. The boy's mother was found dead beneath debris just after 2 a.m. local time, just one street from where her house had been damaged.

Early on Tuesday morning, when the storms started to intensify, parts of North Texas were placed under a tornado watch; shortly after, tornado warnings were issued. As the storms moved eastward at 8:15 a.m. local time, Grapevine, Texas, a suburb about 20 miles to the northwest of Dallas, was issued a tornado warning.

The five injured people have subsequently been admitted to the hospital, although the Grapevine Police Department reports that none of the injuries were life-threatening.

Police sirens could be heard in the distance while video from the scene showed the road covered in rubble and a diner's windows broken. The restaurant's sign was still attached to the pole by at least two-thirds, with the other third lying wilted on the ground.

Numerous businesses, including Walmart and Grapevine Mills Mall, shuttered their doors for the day due to significant structural damage. Photos of the inside of a nearby Sam's Club, where the metal roof had been pulled off, were seen.

By Wednesday night, the severe weather will have reached Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi. These three states were particularly hard-hit by a tornado outbreak that took two lives at the end of November.

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