Severe weather roared through the Midwest on Wednesday, unleashing tornadoes, rain and golfball-size hail. It also shut down the main airport in Oklahoma City.
Flooding and heavy winds were reported in parts of Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska on Wednesday night.
Oklahoma City was hardest hit, with over eight inches of rain reported within hours, according to the National Weather Service. The large amount of rain is the 3rd most on record.
Such conditions can lead to flash flooding, which can have deadly consequences. Residents had already begun to report washed-out roads early Thursday morning.
In addition to the flooding, at least 13 people were injured when a tornado hit a mobile home park, said Susie Patterson of the Emergency Medical Services Authority in Oklahoma City.
“There’s debris just everywhere, and there’s a lot of water on the roadways,” Capt. Paul Timmons of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol told local media.
The National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency for the first time in Oklahoma City’s history. The main airport canceled all flights for the rest of the night, and evacuated passengers and employees to an emergency shelter. It is no yet known when flights will resume.
The storms are part of a large system making its way through Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
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