Tornado strikes northern Louisiana as storm pummels southern United States
MONROE, La. (UPI) — Tornadoes struck northern Louisiana on Sunday afternoon, including damage to nearly two dozen homes and the airport in Monroe, as a severe storm system passed through the South.
With most people kept indoors at their homes on Easter Sunday because of the pandemic coronavirus, about 95 million people may be impacted by the storm, including the threat of tornadoes, according to Rick Reichmuth, Fox News’ chief meteorologist.
“Big weather going on today,” Reichmuth said on Fox & Friends Weekend.” “So many people across the South here on this Easter Sunday looking at the threat for some really severe weather.”
The National Weather Service reported an emergency for Monroe and the surrounding communities at 11:44 a.m. CDT as a confirmed “damaging” tornado was hitting area, according to Weather.com.
About 20 homes were reported to have sustained damage plus multiple planes and hangers were damaged at the Monroe Regional Airport, according to the NWS.
The City of Monroe’s confirmed reports of wind damage in multiple neighborhoods, including downed power lines, as well as office buildings in the airport complex. All flights were canceled “until further notice,” according to a Twitter post by the city.
Trees were sheared and all the doors were ripped off the public service department building in Benton, about 100 miles west of Monroe.
Tornadoes also were reported in Lincoln, Bienville, DeSoto and Webster parishes in Louisiana, according to the NWS in a report by the Shreveport Times.
More than 42,000 homes and businesses in Louisiana were without electricity as of 2:15 p.m. CDT, according to Poweroutage.us. More than 15.000 customers in Texas were without power.
Hail as big as a baseball were reported in eastern Texas in Del Rio, according to KTXS-TV.
“A powerful and destructive storm is expected to spread severe weather from the southern Plains to the Northeast this Easter weekend,” said {link:AccuWeather:
The NWS said worst weather was forecast for more than 5.8 million people live in the area that includes Birmingham, Ala., and Jackson, Miss.
“Please take today’s severe storms very seriously. The NWS just issued a solemn, rare warning: a “PDS” (Particularly Dangerous Situation) tornado watch for north central MS until 8pm,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves posted on Facebook. “Please take precautions to keep your family safe. We are working and watching closely. Stay safe and God bless.”
Reporting by Allen Cone
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