Topline
A tornado in Texas killed seven people as it destroyed a rural mobile home park and at least four other people have been reported dead in Arkansas and Oklahoma as storms ripped through the region Saturday night, destroying homes and knocking out power to tens of thousands.
Key Facts
At least seven people died in severe storms in Texas’ Cooke and Denton counties on Saturday night—the area that stretches from Dallas to southern Oklahoma—including two children, the local NBC affiliate reported.
Five of those deaths happened at the mobile home and RV park at the Ray Roberts marina in Valley View, where residents described to CBS the “unbelievable” destruction of the tornado that left a half-mile of debris in its wake and residents scrambling to find a safe place to hunker down.
Another 20 people in Texas were injured as the storm hit the mobile home park, nearby neighborhood and a crowded highway truck stop, the Cooke County sheriff told NBC, adding that the number of those killed or injured is expected to rise.
Four people were also killed in storms in Arkansas and Oklahoma, two in each state, the Associated Press reported.
Key Background
There were more than 300 tornadoes in the U.S. in April,the second-most ever in the month of April, according to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center. Tornadoes were reported on 18 days of the month and at least six people were killed in Oklahoma, Kansas and Iowa. Last week, hundreds of homes were destroyed or damaged, four people were killed and dozens were hurt in Greenfield, Iowa as a tornado hit with winds between 175 mph and 185 mph, the AP reported.
Tangent
Experts have warned that climate change could impact when and where tornados touch down across the country, but the exact link between the warming planet and the weather phenomena is unknown. Despite the uncertainty, some researchers have noted that tornadoes are shifting east from where they have historically occurred most often and are happening more in colder months, NPR reported.
Big Number
1,200. That’s roughly how many tornadoes occur in the U.S. each year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Further Reading