In the outskirts of Houston, a tornado wreaked havoc driven by thunderstorms, resulting in at least one death. A spokesperson for the Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office told CNN on Saturday, December 28th that the victim was located in the northern part of Brazoria County, with four other individuals injured.
“We are still conducting a secondary search to ensure all residents are safe and sound,” the spokesperson said.
According to the National Weather Service, tornado warnings issued for parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas have escalated to rare “Particularly Dangerous Situation” tornado warnings, with the anticipation of “multiple strong tornadoes” before 9 p.m. Central Time.
The National Weather Service described this as a specific tornado warning, only issued when there is a high level of certainty of the potential for multiple long-lasting EF2 or higher-rated tornadoes in the area. The Storm Prediction Center stated, “Several EF0-EF2 tornadoes are anticipated, along with several more significant (EF3+) tornadoes.”
With over 2 million people residing in the tornado warning area, the total number of Americans currently under tornado warnings approaches nearly 6 million.
The National Weather Service in the United States indicated, “Severe storms are expected across portions of the southern plains, lower Mississippi Valley, and the central Gulf Coast, accompanied by tornadoes, damaging winds, and significant hail. Multiple long-track tornadoes are expected.”
The meteorological agency confirmed at 12:23 p.m. Central Time that a tornado touched down near Cleveland, approximately 45 miles northeast of Houston. The tornado was reported to be moving to the northeast at a speed of 35 miles per hour.
A video posted on Facebook showed another tornado spotted west of Houston in the city of Katy, approximately 30 miles away.
The weather department mentioned that the most intense tornadoes may occur later.
On December 14th, San Francisco’s downtown area in California issued its first-ever tornado warning, as a powerful storm swept through the entire city, causing trees to topple and widespread power outages. Early that morning, over 1 million residents in San Francisco and its suburbs were startled awake by mobile alerts, warning them to “evacuate immediately.” The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management (SFDEM) confirmed that the tornado threat ended around 6:14 a.m. Pacific Standard Time, as the storm had moved to the northeast of the downtown area.
(Reference: CNN)