The US leads the world in weather catastrophes. Here's why
Nature dealt the United States a bad hand, but people have made it much worse by what, where and how we build.
LEARN MOREApril 20, 2023
Fifteen tornadoes were reported in three states Wednesday night as a powerful storm swept through the Central U.S., according to the National Weather Service.
Eight of the 15 tornadoes were reported in Oklahoma.
In McClain County, Oklahoma, three people died, according to the sheriff’s office. The third fatality was confirmed Thursday morning. Officials said a the person sustained fatal injuries from the storm but had been transported from an adjacent county.
The McClain County Sheriff’s Office added that it was conducting a search over a 10-mile path and urged outsiders to stay away.
The Oklahoma tornadoes were clustered in towns just south of Oklahoma City. Several of the tornadoes were powerful enough for their debris to be spotted on radar.
The National Weather Service’s Norman, Oklahoma, office said some of the storms exhibited “erratic behavior” and a “Fujiwara effect, with the circulations rotating around each other.”
A pair of tornadoes were reported in Kansas, and three twisters were reported in Iowa.
The National Weather Service will spend Thursday confirming the tornadoes.
The 15 reported tornadoes on Wednesday brings the total of tornadoes for April across the U.S. to 83, according to the National Weather Service. The total for the year is 557.
Oklahoma has had 24 tornadoes so far in 2023. The National Weather Service reported 28 Oklahoma tornadoes for all of 2022.
The storm system is continuing to move east, and areas from Wisconsin to the Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coasts are under marginal and slight risks of severe weather. Large hail is the primary concern, but a few tornadoes cannot be ruled out.
