Overturned cars are seen after a massive tornado touched down near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma May 20, 2013. A devestating tornado struck an Oklahoma City suburb on Monday and the National Weather Service urged residents to immediately take cover as a large storm system in the middle of the country threatened to pummel as many as 10 states. STRINGER/Reuters/Newscom. License this from Newscom.com: rtrlfive892896
Over the past week storms in the Midwest have spawned tornadoes across the region as the tornado season reaches its peak. Areas that have already been hit by tornadoes are being hit again as the large storm system moves slowly across the country affecting many states including Iowa, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois, Missouri and most recently a two-mile wide monster wreaking havoc through Moore, Oklahoma this afternoon. Initial reports put today’s tornado just outside of Oklahoma City as an F4 tornado that has killed at least 37 people.
As temperatures continue to heat up in June, the threat of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes will continue to be high for those living in the Midwest. There are almost 62 million people living the areas where tornadoes could pop up according the National Weather Service. To save lives people should listen to warnings from authorities and be prepared to find shelter immediately.
The extreme winds and hail in the storm around the tornado can damage houses cars and other property of that not directly in the path of the tornado making emergency response hard. As devastating as the property damage is during each tornado season it can all be rebuilt in time as they have proven before.
We will continue to fallow the storm as it moves across the country and bring you images from all of the storms as we get them into Newscom.
Detailed map of downtown Moore, Okla., locating path of Monday’s devastating tornado and compares it to the path of the 1999 tornado, which had the most powerful winds ever recorded; locates destroyed elementary schools. Staff/MCT/Newscom. License this from Newscom.com: krtgfxlive043515
A shredded tree stands amid debris after a massive tornado touched down in the town of Moore, near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma May 20, 2013. A huge tornado with winds of up to 200 miles per hour (320 kph) tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday, ripping up at least two schools and leaving a wake of tangled wreckage as a dangerous storm system threatened as many as 10 U.S. states. STRINGER/Reuters/Newscom. License this from Newscom.com: rtrlfive892904
Law enforcement officials arrive on the scene after a huge tornado struck Moore, Oklahoma, near Oklahoma City, May 20, 2013. The powerful tornado that struck the town of Moore, Oklahoma, on Monday was given a preliminary rating of at least EF4, or the second highest strength level, with winds of up to 200 miles per hour (321 kph), a U.S. government agency said. STRINGER/Reuters/Newscom. License this from Newscom.com: rtrlfive892917
A semi-tractor trailer (top) rests on its side against the guard rails on Interstate 40 as another trailer lies broken open on the road below after falling from I-40, following a tornado strike near Highway 177 north of Shawnee, Oklahoma May 19, 2013. A tornado half a mile wide struck near Oklahoma City on Sunday, part of a massive storm front that hammered the central United States. News reports said at least one person had died. BILL WAUGH/REUTERS/Newscom. License this from Newscom.com: rtrlfive891837
A man peers through the wreckage in Shawnee, Oklahoma, the United States, May 20, 2013. Two men were confirmed dead after tornadoes hit the U.S. state of Oklahoma, officials said Monday. Tornadoes ravaged portions of central Oklahoma on Sunday, according to media reports. Marcus DiPaola Xinhua News Agency/Newscom. License this from Newscom.com: xnaphotos245801
The funnel of a tornadic thunderstorm almost touches the ground near South Haven, in Kansas May 19, 2013. A massive storm front swept north through the central United States on Sunday, hammering the region with fist-sized hail, blinding rain and tornadoes, including a half-mile wide twister that struck near Oklahoma City. News reports said at least one person had died. GENE BLEVINS/REUTERS/Newscom. License this from Newscom.com: rtrlfive891926
A tornado is pictured near a home in South Haven, Kansas May 19, 2013. A massive storm front swept north through the central United States on Sunday. GENE BLEVINS/REUTERS/Newscom. License this from Newscom.com: rtrlfive891931
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