A deadly string of tornadoes and thunderstorms rampaged Tuesday through central Oklahoma, killing at least two people, injuring many others and destroying homes and vehicles, officials said.
Canadian County Sheriff Randall Edwards told CNN a large tornado that crossed I-40 near El Reno destroyed residences and caused a gas leak at an energy plant west of the state capital.
County Emergency Management Director Jerry Smith told CNN the storm,
which eventually moved past Calumet and Edmond, north of Oklahoma City, killed two and caused numerous injuries.
The twister injured motorists on Interstate 40 and U.S. 81, Smith said. Deputies were attending to the injured, and there were reports of property damage in the area.
Another tornado was seen at Chickasha, about 40 miles southwest of Oklahoma City. It later reached Newcastle, closing in on Moore and Norman, suburbs of Oklahoma City.
The National Weather Service warned residents and I-44 drivers to take precautionary action.
"It came right past the store," said Chickasha AutoZone employee Nathaniel Charlton. "They had a little debris thrown across the parking lot. It was on the ground, but it wasn't bad."
Sirens went off about 20 minutes before the storm pushed through, Charlton told CNN.
State officials received reports of damaged businesses in Chickasha.
"This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation," the National Weather Service said.
The weather agency's Storm Prediction Center in Norman was evacuated and employees took shelter as a tornado approached, a spokesman told CNN. Responsibilities were transferred to the U.S. Air Force Global Weather Central at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.
Gov. Mary Fallin said residents should take tornado warnings and reports "very seriously." .
"We're still in the middle of a big storm," she told CNN's John King as strong storms moved across her state Tuesday evening. First responders were heading toward communities that have reported damage to homes, Fallin said.
Tornado warnings were issued in Oklahoma County, Canadian County and Grady County, indicating other twisters had touched down.
CNN Oklahoma City affiliates broadcast images of funnel clouds that were dumping rain as they moved into more populated areas.
More twisters and severe thunderstorms were expected to push through the region and threaten Joplin, Missouri, which was devastated by a tornado on Sunday.
Tornado watches were in effect Tuesday afternoon in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.
In anticipation of the severe weather, American Airlines canceled 126 arriving and departing flights at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, spokesman Ed Martelle told CNN.
Operations were suspended late Tuesday afternoon at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City.
A "particularly dangerous situation" tornado watch was issued for a large part of Oklahoma and northern Texas until 10 p.m. CT. This includes Oklahoma City and portions of the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area, according to CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen.
The Storm Prediction Center said the high-risk area for severe storms includes southern Kansas, most of Oklahoma and southward into Texas.
Surrounding the high-risk area is a large "moderate"-risk area where tornadoes are possible. This includes the cities of Dallas; Kansas City, Missouri; Springfield, Missouri; and Joplin.
The worst for Joplin is expected to be between 8 p.m. and midnight. Tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds are possible, according to Hennen.
The tornado threat will slowly diminish late Tuesday evening and overnight, but isolated tornadoes, large hail and damaging straight-line (non-tornado-type) winds will continue.
The tornado that struck Joplin on Sunday killed at least 118 people, authorities said Tuesday, making it the deadliest single U.S. tornado since modern record-keeping began more than 60 years ago.
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