Tornadoes Kill at Least 19 in OK and MO; OK Town Almost Destroyed

Note: in chaotic situations, death tolls vary. KTUL is on the scene, and we're trusting them.

Ambulances literally raced back and forth between the tiny, struggling town of Picher and the nearest hospital in Miami, OK after a fourth day of severe weather ended in a tornado savaging the area.

At least six people are known to have died in the tornado, tentatively classifed as an F3. The twister was one of several that gouged across Eastern Oklahoma early Saturday evening.

Complete story, with photos and video, at The Pep Report.

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Update: Several tornadoes that roared across four Southern states are now known to have killed at least 47 people, injured hundreds more, and inflicted significant damage across hundreds of miles.




Several students have been rescued from the debris of two dormitories destroyed as a tornado ripped through Union University in Jackson, TN. A search and rescue mission is ongoing.

Watch a tornado forming in Memphis.



A natural gas pumping station caught fire in Green Grove, TN. Flames were reported shooting several hundred feet into the night sky.

This storm stalked Southaven, Mississippi. Wath the left side closely in this excellent coverage.






At least one tornado touched down in Nashville, TN. Part of I-40 in West Tennesse closed after a reported 60 tractor trailers crashed in the storms, many rolled over on their sides like beached whales.

Oxford, Miss. has been hard hit as the storms churn eastward. The entire town of Gassville, Arkansas was sealed off because authorities fear natural gas explosions.



Remnants of Sears store in Hickory Ridge Mall, Memphis, TN.


Tornado bears down on Arkansas communities.


A supercell lowers, preparing to unleash a tornado near Cordova, TN. The same system destroyed a mall in Memphis. Click here for a map of tornadoes in the Memphis area.


The human and property cost of the storms have only begun to be tallied. Most evaluation will have to wait until after daybreak. Several states remain under tornado watches and developing warnings as the system rolls east.

The Peanut crew is anxiously awaiting word about a dear family friend in the Memphis area.

Killer Tornadoes Defy Winter, Slash Through Midwest in Bizarre Weather

In Oklahoma, the freak storms made history as the National Weather Service issued almost two dozen tornado warnings. The state has not recorded a tornado in January since 1975. Although none touched down, the warnings and the severe thunderstorms were so dangerous that local TV stations provided non-stop weather coverage during prime time, pre-empting normal shows.

Northeast Oklahoma stayed under tornado watch until 5 a.m. today. Although radar picked up supercell formation and rotation in the sky, the storms didn't unleash their deadly funnels until just after they crossed state lines into Arkansas and Missouri.

The photo is courtesy of stormchaser Chris Wilburn and KTUL. This incredible night photo of a tornado was captured in Missouri.



This dramatic night storm photo is courtesy of White Shadow Photography.



It was a tense time for those in the storm strike zone. Here at I Found a Peanut headquarters, we spent the night camped in front of a TV, flashlight and emergency gear at hand and ready to head into the storm shelter.

We knew something was coming even before the tornado watch and warnings were issued. The weather whipped from below freezing temperatures to a sudden tropical feeling. The high here reached 71 degrees. However, missing from the mix was the usual "oppressive" feeling that comes in pre-tornadic buildups.

Rapidly-building weather systems like this are incredibly dangerous because they appear so suddenly. Other dangers: flooding and lightning. As thousands of lightning strikes hammered to earth, the storms also brought flooding. Emergency workers had to rescue people from flash-flooded areas.

It's not yet dawn, so we haven't had a chance to check for any possible damage from the high winds. Amazingly, the power stayed on. Parts of Oklahoma are still recovering from more than a week without power and heavy damage from the recent multi-million-dollar ice storm.



Tulsa has brought in outside contractors to help with downed limb clean-up from the ice storm. Officials fear that fallen trees and limbs, especially in country areas, will serve as dangerous fodder when the fire season begins.

Despite all that, Oklahoma was lucky last night. Our neighbors on our northeast borders weren't so lucky, nor were those in some sections of Wisconsin and Illinois. Although we're reeling from the one-two punch of historic ice storm and now spring-like supercell thunderstorms, we know that last night we managed to dodge a deadly bullet--this time.

Applause is due KOTV, KJRH, and KTUL, who all fielded stormchasters and spotters, and who worked throughout the entire night monitoring and reporting on the storms.