Deadly Tornado Outbreak Kills At Least Two People After Onslaught in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas

A tornado outbreak killed at least two people last week after twisters left a trail of destruction in the Southern Plains, affecting Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, according to US media reporting.

Powerful thunderstorms struck the region, producing damaging winds, large hails, and tornadoes.

The tornadic storm also caused significant damage to property, where similar cases were reported in the past.

Initial details of the extreme weather event in the Central US only mentioned the infrastructural damage and travel disruption caused by the swirling vortex of air.

However, updates on the deadly outbreak over the weekend suggests the gravity of the situation of the severe storms in the region.

Amid the recover efforts, cleanup efforts and storm surveys will continue in the tornado-hit states.

The twister outbreak occurred even as the country is heading towards the winter season in December.

The weather phenomenon particularly transpired during a severe thunderstorm that can spawn not only tornadoes but also other weather hazards like heavy rain.

This year alone, thunderstorm-driven tornadoes have ravaged the central, southern, and even the southeastern US.

Southern Plains Tornado Outbreak

Tornadoes due to severe thunderstorms rampaged across parts of the Southern Plains on Friday, November 4, killing at least two people and injuring dozens of others.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued the first tornado emergency since spring in Idabel, Oklahoma, where one of the tornadoes caused a fatality.

The other tornado death occurred in Texas, CNN reported.

The first tornadic storms of the latest tornado outbreak appeared in northeast Texas and southern Oklahoma where several mobile homes were damaged, according to Fox Weather.

The extreme weather also damaged trees and downed power lines.

What is a Tornado Outbreak?

In recent decades, the reality of tornado spawns or burst of tornadoes has been used often to refer to multiple tornadoes occurring in a specific location in a short span of time.

In most instances, this event occurs under one or more severe thunderstorm phenomenon.

In 2022, there are several reported tornado outbreaks that transpired in the US, resulting in casualties and widespread damage.

The term "tornado outbreak" appeared in meteorological literature since the 1950s and was used to emphasize severe weather events with many tornadoes, according to a scientific paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society in April 2021.

However, the exact meaning and understanding of the said term evolved over the years, the study adds.

March 2022 Tornado Outbreak

In March 2022, the NWS reported multiple, strong tornadoes that were produced across south-central Texas from the cities of San Antonio to Jarrel from long track supercells amid a warm front and strong low-level jet over the region that time.

As a result, tornadic activity moved into southeast Texas where a long-lived supercell travelled from Burleson County to Houston County, producing five tornadoes.

The storm responsible for producing the five tornadoes also generated additional tornadoes in Shreveport's County, causing significant damage to homes, businesses, and other structures that resulted in 14 injuries, the NWS stated.