Almost a Dozen Tornadoes Hit the U.S. in One Day — and More Severe Weather Is Expected

Alison Fox
·2 min read

More than 50 million residents from Texas to Wisconsin are still at risk.

<p>Dan Tian/Xinhua/Getty Images</p> A home damaged by a tornado in Jacksboro, northern Texas on March 22, 2022.

Dan Tian/Xinhua/Getty Images

A home damaged by a tornado in Jacksboro, northern Texas on March 22, 2022.

Nearly a dozen tornadoes struck the United States on Wednesday, according to News 9. While severe storms were reported across Kansas, Iowa, and Oklahoma, the latter experienced the worst impact with eight confirmed tornadoes. (Kansas had three unconfirmed reports of tornadoes and Iowa had four unverified reports, according to CNN.)

The town of Cole, Oklahoma, which sits about 30 miles south of Oklahoma City, had a "large and extremely dangerous tornado" moving at 30 miles per hour, according to Axios. It left thousands without power, significant damages to property, and at least three casualties, AccuWeather reported. As of Thursday afternoon, roughly 16,000 homes and businesses in Oklahoma still have no power.

"Last night, severe weather devastated parts of Shawnee & Cole and three of our fellow Oklahomans lost their lives,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt tweeted. “As we come together in prayer for all those affected, we’re working diligently to assess the damage and restore our communities.”

The severe weather marked the deadliest tornado day in Oklahoma since 2013.

The storms are not done, with more than 50 million residents stretching from Texas all the way to Wisconsin still at risk, according to CNN. Rain, hail, severe winds, flash flooding, and even more tornadoes remain possible on Thursday.

In Chicago, for example, NBC News Chicago reported a storm was expected to move in Thursday afternoon and evening. And in Texas, “scattered strong to severe storms” were expected to develop on Thursday “with large hail and damaging winds the main threats,” according to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, Texas.

In light of the extreme weather events, many airlines (like United Airlines, American Airlines, and Southwest Airlines) have issued travel waivers for the affected areas.

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