US braces for tornadoes, blizzards as winter storm heads east

An enormous storm blowing across the United States has spawned tornadoes in parts of Oklahoma and Texas, as much of the central part of the country — from the Rocky Mountains to the Midwest — braces for blizzard-like conditions.

An area stretching from Montana into western Nebraska and Colorado was under blizzard warnings, and the US National Weather Service said on Tuesday that as much as 61 centimeters (two feet) of snow was possible in some areas of western South Dakota and northwestern Nebraska. Ice and sleet were expected in the eastern Great Plains.

Meanwhile, the damage was reported in the Oklahoma town of Wayne after the weather service warned of a “confirmed tornado” shortly after 5am (11:00 GMT) on Tuesday. Video footage from the Oklahoma TV station KOCO showed substantial damage to a home in Wayne, which is about 72 kilometres (45 miles) south of Oklahoma City.

There were no deaths or injuries due to the tornado, McClain County Sheriff’s Captain Bryan Murrell said. But as authorities began assessing the town, it was clear the damage was widespread.

“We’ve got multiple family structures with significant damage … barns, power lines down” in and around Wayne, Murrell said.

National Weather Service meteorologist Doug Speheger said wind speeds reached 179 to 211 kilometres per hour (111 to 135 miles per hour). The tornado was rated a level two on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, a measure of tornado damage that runs from zero to five.