Tornado in Trinity, Texas, causes injuries, destroys home as flash flooding strands drivers
MADISONVILLE, Texas – Another day of severe weather and flash flooding happened Sunday across the southern U.S., as other parts of the country were reeling from several damaging tornadoes that have struck since Friday.
A deadly tornado outbreak caused widespread destruction in Oklahoma on Saturday night. That was preceded by another deadly tornado outbreak that devastated parts of Nebraska and Iowa on Friday.
Severe storms on Sunday led to power outages across parts of Texas. According to PowerOutage.us, at least 52,000 customers were without power in northeastern Texas on Sunday evening.
A storm appeared to produce a tornado near the town of Madisonville, Texas, where the National Weather Service had issued a Tornado Warning. A 67-mph wind gust was reported at a weather station near Madisonville.
Meanwhile, power poles were reported knocked down about 10 miles away in Bedias. Trees were reported down near Henderson, Texas, from a storm that produced winds near 60 mph.
In Trinity County in East Texas, a local sheriff reported that several people were injured after a possible tornado destroyed a house in Trinity's Rock Creek subdivision. Video shared by Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace also showed cars flipped upside down in the area. The National Weather Service office in Houston confirmed Monday that a brief EF-1 tornado with 100-mph winds was behind the mayhem.
Sunday's storms also produced tremendous amounts of rainfall. A Flash Flood Emergency was issued Sunday night for Trinity County, including the city of Groveton, Texas. Multiple high-water rescues were reported in the county after 6-7 inches of rain fell in an hour, leaving numerous roads severely flooded.
Flooding was also reported in nearby Polk County, Texas, where photos shared by the Lufkin District of the Texas Department of Transportation showed roads that were impassable due to floodwaters.
Nearly a dozen tornadoes have been reported across Texas since Friday. The strongest was an EF-2 twister that struck north of Waco.
Additional strong to severe thunderstorms are possible on Monday from parts of South Texas into the lower Mississippi Valley.
The FOX Forecast Center said large hail and damaging wind gusts are the main threats, but an isolated tornado or two can't be ruled out.
Original article source: Tornado in Trinity, Texas, causes injuries, destroys home as flash flooding strands drivers
