A tornado that reportedly covered a full two miles caused millions of dollars in damage and dozens of deaths across Oklahoma City's suburbs on Monday afternoon. And according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, more destruction may be in store.
As dawn broke on Tuesday, the state medical examiner's office revised the death toll to at least 24, including seven children, according to The Associated Press as reported by local station KOCO. That's down from the at least 51 initially reported. Spokeswoman Amy Elliot said that some victims may have been counted twice.
And while the exact number of deaths is yet to be determined, hundreds of people were injured, many of them critically. Still, more than 100 people had been pulled from the rubble alive since Monday afternoon, the state Highway Patrol said.
According to local station Fox 6, Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport reopened yesterday evening at around 6 p.m. ET. All flights are delayed, and at least six flights have been canceled.
NOAA's website has an Public Severe Weather Outlook for Oklahoma and nearby states today, noting that thunderstorms are expected to develop ahead of a cold front by midday across parts of southeast Oklahoma into central and northeast Texas, and may continue into Arkansas and Louisiana by evenings. "Initial thunderstorm activity will remain discrete...and be capable of producing large...damaging hail...strong winds and tornadoes /a few possibly strong/," the report says. "These storms are expected to develop into a squall line as they approach southwest Arkansas and northwest Louisiana…leading to an increasing threat of strong...damaging winds into the evening hours.
"Elsewhere…severe storms are also possible from...south central Texas into the mid-Mississippi Valley."
Stay tuned to www.travelagentcentral.com for further updates.