Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Tornado Hits San Antonio as Severe Weather Rattles South and Midwest By KEVIN DOLAK
Severe weather hammered the Midwest and
South from Minnesota to Texas including a
tornado that touched down in San Antonio,
where at least 50 homes were damaged or
destroyed.
Residents across this broad region were bracing
for flooding Tuesday after the severe weather
brought heavy rain and hail that is anticipated to
continue for the next few days. With the storm
system slowing significantly, tornadoes are
becoming less likely but flash flooding becomes a
major concern, forecasters said.
The slow-moving weather pattern will bring
thunderstorms with heavy rain as it moves over
the same area, according to the National Weather
Service, which said that some locations will
receive a foot of rain by midweek.
The NWS reported that the tornado touched
down 25 miles southwest of San Antonio on
Monday evening, and that parts of the city and
surrounding areas were under a tornado
warning. Although some were trapped inside
their homes, no fatalities were reported by early
Tuesday morning.
Tornado warnings across the San Antonio area
were canceled around 11 p.m. Monday, according
to ABC News affiliate KSAT. Crews began
assessing damage to the area late Monday night.
The sheriff's office in Medina, Texas, reported
multiple injuries, but do not have a count yet.
"Pretty much all" of the approximately 50 homes
damaged were completely destroyed, a
representative from the office said.
Interim Fire Marshal Craig Roberts reported
heavily damaged homes and five injuries, and
one reported missing, according to KSAT. He said
none of the injuries were life-threatening.
Strong winds in the Dallas-Fort Worth area
brought major power outages, while outages
were reported in Oklahoma City and in Tulsa
County. Heavy rains closed roads in Oklahoma,
and roofs were reportedly blown off by high
winds in Minnesota.
Eight inches of rain was expected in southeastern
Kansas, according to The Associated Press.
"We're looking at maybe a week of rain in that
part of the state," Kansas climatologist Mary
Knapp said. "That would be a very, very nice
start to our spring season."
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