TORNADOS OF 2007

compiled by Dee Finney

On average, 800 tornadoes are reported in the United States each year with 80 deaths and more than 1,500 injuries.

Editors note: Because there are so many tornadoes in the United States, I am only reporting those with deaths.

February 2, 2007 - 19 dead in Florida

March 2, 2007 - 8 highschool students - Alabama
Deadly storms swept through Georgia killing at least nine people Thursday night
just hours after wreaking havoc in neighboring Alabama.
At least 20 people are known to have died in the storms that blasted the central and southeastern United States.

March 28, 2007
3 killed in Plains states

April, 2007

4-10-07 - Tornadoes Hit Alabama, Georgia and Missouri, 20 Killed
4-13-07 - 1 dead in Dallas, TX
4-13-07 - 1 dead in Indianapolis, IN
4-13-07 - 1 dead in Michigan
4-15-07 - 1 dead in Sumpter, SC
4-15-07 - 5 dead - Albany, New York

May, 2007

5-1-07 - 7 dead in Texas - 3 in Mexico
5-4-07 - 9 dead in Kansas
 

 

 

Georgia homes destroyed by possible tornado

(Atlanta-AP) January 8, 2007 - A line of severe thunderstorms moved across north Georgia, spawning possible tornadoes, damaging some houses and downing trees and power lines.

A forecaster with the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City, Mike Leary, says he is "pretty sure" a tornado struck in Coweta County south of Atlanta, where a half dozen homes were damaged or destroyed Sunday night by wind or fallen trees.

Coweta County Fire Chief Jay Jones says damage was even worse than the damage caused by another round of storms on Friday.

While no serious injuries were immediately reported, firefighters responded to nearly two dozen reports of residents trapped by falling trees. Jones says firefighter also rescued a 14-year-old who was trapped in a closet when a roof collapsed at a home.

The storm also knocked down trees in Heard, Meriwether and Troup counties.

When the weather rolled through Atlanta, it caused travel delays of 45 minutes or less at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Up to four inches of rain fell earlier in parts of Alabama, where a flash flood warning was issued for six counties.

Posted 7:59am by Bryce Mursch

Friday February 2, 2007-11:20 PM     Reuters
*
Perilous Times and Global Warming

14 killed by fierce tornadoes in central Florida*

By Barbara Liston

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Fourteen people were killed and at least 100  homes were damaged or destroyed when tornadoes ripped through
central Florida on Friday, an official said.

Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes struck a wide area north of Florida's key tourism region of Orlando, reducing homes to rubble and splintered
wood. Search and rescue teams fanned out to search for survivors and victims.

"I have 14," Christopher Patton, spokesman for the Lake County emergency operations centre, told Reuters, citing reports of fatalities from the
county medical examiner's office. "I can confirm that number."

Patton said three people were killed in Lady Lake, about 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Orlando, and 11 died in nearby Paisley, on the edge of
the Ocala National Forest.

"We have complete devastation of homes, of businesses, religious institutions," Patton said earlier on CNN. "It was unlike even perhaps
the hurricanes of 2004 when we had minor roof damage, screen damage, pool damage. This is way far more devastating."

Up to 100 homes were damaged in Sumter County but officials there said there were no reports of deaths.

Television video showed homes reduced to rubble and residents belongings strewn across neighbourhoods.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist postponed the scheduled presentation of his first budget because of the weather emergency.

Walt Disney Co.'s Disney World, just south of Orlando, was not affected, a spokeswoman said.

(Additional reporting by Michael Christie in Miami)

Posted on Fri, Feb. 02, 2007

Some huddle and survive, but 19 die in Florida twisters

BY PHIL LONG, LARRY LEBOWITZ AND MARTIN MERZER
mmerzer@MiamiHerald.com
PAISLEY - They are in their 80s and they've been married 59 years, and they heard the roar and they knew what it meant. So Vern and Louedna Huber huddled in a hallway and they pulled sofa cushions over their heads and the roar grew louder.

Louedna turned to Vern. She said: ''I love you and I've had many wonderful years.'' And then, a little after 3 a.m., the tornado arrived.

They survived, shaken but still together. And still fortunate.

At least 19 people died, many others were injured, hundreds lost homes and thousands remained traumatized after a vicious swarm of thunderstorms and predawn tornadoes ripped through Central and Northeast Florida early Friday.

Two of the dead were high school students and one was an elementary school child, officials said. More than 1,850 buildings were destroyed or damaged over a 40-mile swath of Lake, Sumter and Volusia counties.

As night fell over the region, authorities accompanied by rescue dogs still searched for people trapped in debris. Shelters opened to serve the newly homeless. At least 10,000 customers still were without power.

Gov. Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency for Volusia, Sumter, Lake and Seminole counties. He said the state and its storm-weary residents would persevere, as they did after the barrages of hurricanes in 2004 and 2005.

''This is the Florida way,'' Crist said of the rescue and recovery effort.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it was processing the state's application for emergency assistance. The Florida National Guard mustered 8,000 soldiers and awaited orders to distribute food, water and first aid.

The fierce squalls -- including two ''super cells'' that forecasters said generated several tornadoes with winds greater than 100 mph -- attacked under cover of darkness, enhancing the terror, and the unsettled weather persisted into the afternoon.

The wind splintered houses and flattened a church built to withstand 150 mph winds. Falling trees crushed cars and trucks. Clothing, bedding and other debris dangled from branches.

Tornadoes or apparent tornadoes were reported near Frostproof in Polk County, near Wildwood in Sumter County, near Weirsdale in Marion County and in many areas of rural Lake County.

Parts of the area resembled South Miami-Dade County after it was bulldozed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Another historical footnote: Friday's storms struck on the ninth anniversary of Florida's ferocious ''Groundhog Day Storm'' of 1998.

Officials in Lake County confirmed 13 deaths near the communities of Lake Mack, Bear Lake and Paisley, about 50 miles northwest of Orlando. Six deaths were reported in or near Lady Lake, also in Lake County. Authorities could not account for two people missing near Lake Mack.

Among the dead: a male freshman from Umatilla High School, a 17-year-old female student from Leesburg High School who lived in Lady Lake, and a 7-year-old boy from Spring Creek Elementary near Paisley, officials said. The boy's father also died. None were immediately identified.

The Lady Lake Church of God was demolished, its pews, altar and Bibles scattered to the wind. A steel-reinforced structure, the church also served as an emergency shelter and was built to endure 150-mph winds, the Rev. Larry Lynn said.

''It's total destruction,'' he said, ``but only of the building. Our church is our people, and we're still here.''

Several miles northwest of Lady Lake, a sprawling retirement community called The Villages absorbed a direct hit from at least one tornado.

Up to 500 houses were destroyed or heavily damaged and cars were tossed 100 feet or more. No deaths or injuries were immediately reported in The Villages. About 50,000 people live in the area, which stretches from Lake County into Sumter County.

The Hubers live near Bear Lake and their first warning came from a weather radio alert. Then, their son called with another alert from Orange City. And soon, they heard it.

''It was a roar, a steady roar,'' Vern Huber said. ``About a minute or two before it hit the house, you could hear the roar coming. As soon as I heard that, I knew we were in for trouble.''

Said Louedna: ``I wasn't sure we were going to get out of there.''

But they did get out, their modest two-bedroom, one-bath house only slightly damaged. Their garage and workshop were gone, however, and the wind blasted apart wooden houses and mobile homes just a half-mile away.

Aluminum clung to trees next to chunks of pink insulation. Power and telephone lines sat bunched like tossed spaghetti.

The line of severe weather -- advancing from the Gulf of Mexico toward the Atlantic coast and carving an east-northeast path through the center of the state -- propelled destructive thunderstorms through many other areas.

The National Weather Service issued tornado watches hours before the storms arrived and provided eight to 16 minutes of more-ominous and specific tornado warnings before the twisters hit -- about average for tornado warnings.

But with most people sound asleep, those warnings were heard and heeded by very few. Their first warning was the roar, which really did sound like a freight train.

''The only thing I heard was a freight train, and I didn't hear anything but a freight train,'' said Dale Bridges, who moved to Lady Lake two years ago from Plantation after his family's home was severely damaged from Hurricane Wilma.

This time, he was in luck. His mobile home survived, as did his parents' brick home across the street and his brother's home two doors down. But they were literally powerless, and as nightfall approached, a barefoot Bridges, wearing a Chicago Bears T-shirt and drinking a beer, watched crews slicing through the limbs of 150-year-old oak trees that crashed into power lines.

The storms struck at around 3:10 a.m. in The Villages and 3:15 a.m. in the Lady Lake areas, forecasters said.

The outbreak of severe weather reminded many meteorologists and others of the Groundhog Day Storm nine years earlier.

Forecasters had predicted the possibility of a repeat performance by nature this year, noting the existence of the same El Niño conditions that helped fuel the 1998 storms.

El Niños, which occur when water in the eastern Pacific Ocean becomes unusually warm, can bend the jet stream and propel strong cold fronts into and through Florida.

When a cold front meets warm, tropical air -- as one did in Central Florida this morning -- severe weather often erupts.

''This was a pretty classic El Niño event,'' said Robert Molleda, the National Weather Service's warnings coordinator for South Florida.

He noted that three weeks after the Groundhog Day Storm, a bevy of tornadoes pummeled Central Florida, killing 42 people. There is a lesson there, he said.

''This is the time of year -- February through April and even into May -- when we can get tornadoes in Florida from these cold fronts, especially in an El Niño year,'' Molleda said. ``We need to continue to be alert.''

Herald staff writers Noah Bierman, Marc Caputo, Lesley Clark, Tania DeLuzuriaga, Gary Fineout and Myriam Marquez contributed to this report.

2007-03-02 18:01:04
Alabama High School Warned Before Twister

 
By JAY REEVES
AP
ENTERPRISE, Ala. (March 2, 2007) - Administrators at a high school where eight students died in a tornado  were warned about severe weather nearly three hours before the twister struck, raising questions Friday about whether classes should have been dismissed earlier.
 
Residents of the neighborhood surrounding Enterprise High School said they heard warning sirens long before the tornado slammed into the building, crushing the victims in an avalanche of concrete and metal.

"It came real fast, but they had plenty of time to get those kids out because sirens were going off all morning," said Pearl Green, whose 15-year-old niece attends the school and was hit in the head by a flying brick.

But school officials said they had no chance to evacuate earlier because of the approaching severe weather. And others said the carnage would have been greater if students had been outside or on the road when the storm hit.

Gov. Bob Riley defended administrators' actions after a tour of the school.

"I don't know of anything they didn't do," Riley said after stepping out of the collapsed hallway where the students died. "If I had been there, I hope I would have done as well as they did."
 
The last of the bodies were removed Friday.

"Each one who was brought out, somebody would say, `That was a good kid,'" said Bob Phares, assistant superintendent.

The students were among 20 people killed Thursday in Alabama, Georgia and Missouri by tornadoes contained in a line of thunderstorms that stretched from Minnesota to the Gulf Coast. The storms damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes, toppled trees and knocked down power lines. In Enterprise, a town of 22,000 people, more than 50 people were hurt.

President Bush  planned to visit two of the storm-damaged areas Saturday. The destinations were still being worked out Friday with governors in the affected states.

Warning sirens began blaring in Enterprise about 10:30 a.m. Thursday, prompting school officials to order the high school's 1,200 students into interior halls - supposedly the safest part of the building.

Many students left school after the initial warnings, and administrators decided to dismiss classes at 1 p.m., before the worst of the weather was forecast to hit, Phares said.

But with hundreds of students still huddled inside the school, emergency management officials warned that a possible twister was on the way and advised school officials to hold students until 1:30 p.m., Phares said.

"The storm hit about 1:15," he said. A wall in one hall collapsed, and the concrete slab roof fell on the victims.

Brittany Ammons, 18, left school about 10 minutes before the tornado struck. She said students in the halls could hear the sirens, but no one panicked.

"We weren't really worried because we're always hearing sirens for bad weather," Ammons said.

Looking at the remains of their school, Ammons and three classmates wondered whether students should have been sent home after the first warnings were issued. But senior Charles Strickland said the carnage would have been far worse if students were trying to leave school during the storm.

"If they'd let us out, they'd be looking at 50 to 300 dead," Strickland said. He pointed to a parking lot full of students' vehicles that were thrown around by the twister, with some coming to rest against the building.

"Imagine those kids in the parking lot sitting in those cars," English teacher Beverly Thompson said.

Mitch Edwards, spokesman for the Alabama Board of Education, said the state has a plan requiring schools to conduct weather drills and review safety plans. But the decision on whether to close schools is left to superintendents and principals.
 
"It's a situation where local superintendents and principals are in position to make the best call," Edwards said. "They try to react based on the best information available."

Associated Press writer Stephen Majors contributed to this story.
 
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.

Twisters sweep Plains, kill 3

POSTED: 10:44 a.m. EDT, March 29, 2007
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma (AP) -- An early spring storm swept across the Plains early Thursday, spinning off tornadoes that killed an Oklahoma couple in a home that was blown to pieces and a Colorado woman whose small town was nearly destroyed.

A tornado as wide as two football fields carved a destructive path through Holly, Colorado, late Wednesday, destroying five homes, damaging dozens more and littering the streets with broken power lines, tree limbs and debris.

"Homes were there and now they're gone," county administrator Linda Fairbairn said. "Many, if not all, the structures in town suffered some degree of damage."

A 28-year-old woman who suffered massive injuries during the twister died after she was airlifted to a hospital in Colorado Springs, Prowers County Coroner Joe Giadone said Thursday.

The line of storms stretched nearly the length of the nation, from South Dakota to Texas. As it headed east on Thursday, it threatened flash flooding in central Nebraska and Kansas. More severe weather was expected in Oklahoma, as well, forecasters said.
 
At least 11 tornadoes were reported throughout western Nebraska on Wednesday, destroying or damaging three homes and 10-12 miles of power lines, emergency management officials said.

A husband and wife were killed near Elmwood, Oklahoma, when the storm blew apart their home, said Dixie Parker, Beaver County's emergency management director.

In Holly, Colorado, a town of about 900 residents 235 miles southeast of Denver, the storm tore the back off Cheryl Roup's home and flipped it into her front yard, the Denver Post reported. Somehow, her China closet survived the damage, and her border collie, Lacy, escaped harm.

"Lacy managed to crawl out from under the rubble, but she seemed OK," Roup told the Post. "She's a little shocked, much like I am right now."

The same storm system had dumped snow on Wyoming, where a school bus carrying 36 students from Tongue River High School to a competition in Cheyenne collided with two minivans on Interstate 90 Wednesday, school officials said.

Soon after that crash, another pileup started nearby involving several passenger vehicles and seven big rigs, two of which were hauling diesel fuel. One of the diesel haulers rolled over, and authorities said the other leaked around 1,000 gallons of fuel. No one on the bus was hurt, but four other people were taken to a hospital, Wyoming Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Stephen Townsend said.

The wintry weather closed a 100-mile stretch of I-90 and 45 miles of I-25. Thirteen other state roads were also closed.

As the storm moved through Texas, the Panhandle region was hit with baseball-sized hail, rain and 70 mph wind that downed power lines and uprooted trees. Tornadoes also touched down, including one that was on the ground at Caprock Canyons State Park for about 20 minutes, the National Weather Service said. The storm overturned trucks, and at least three people were hospitalized with injuries.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

Tornadoes Hit Alabama, Georgia and Missouri, 20 Killed

By Armando Duke

(AXcess News) Houston, TX - Tornadoes reeked havoc across a three-state region yesterday, killing 20 people in Alabama, Georgia and Missouri.  The tornadoes recorded across the Southeastern US numbered 29 and were part of a massive storm front that stretched from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, the National Weather Service reports.

In Enterprise, Alabama, near the Florida boarder, one tornado swept through the town with fierce winds, knocking down the walls of school there as it left behind a wake of damage from a three-mile wide path the tornado took.  In all, as many as six states reported tornadoes from what the National Weather Service calls a "super cell" storm front.

The Enterprise tornado left nine dead in its wake; eight students at the Enterprise High School were killed when the roof and one wall collapsed near the gymnasium and another Enterprise citizen was killed near their home while a Wilcox County resident was also reported to have been killed by the tornado.

The National Weather Service said the 'super cell' would move off of the East coast today, leaving behind sunlit skies across the Southeast and heavy rainfall in parts of the East Coast, mainly New York.

At least nine deaths were reported in Georgia, and one person was killed in Missouri, officials in those states said.

The storm nearly doubled the number of people who have been killed by tornadoes this year. Twenty-three people other died from tornadoes in Louisiana and Florida in the last two months, the Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma said.

DALLAS, Texas (CBS/AP)  --  At least one person was killed after severe storms raked across the Dallas-Fort Worth area Friday afternoon and evening, producing at least five tornadoes. Five other people were hurt.

The severe weather system plowed eastward Saturday, rattling Louisiana with strong thunderstorms as the Northeast prepared for possible coastal flooding.

The storm blew across the southern Plains on Friday, piling snow a foot deep in Kansas and raking Texas with high wind.

CBS Station KTVT in Dallas/Ft. Worth reported on hailstones the size of baseballs. They also said that power is out to tens of thousands of people in the area.

"I felt my house start shaking like the wind and I ran in here and grabbed my little girl," Amanda Rymer, 21, said in Haltom City, Texas. "As soon as I moved her, the roof fell in right where she was standing."

The storm tore roofs off houses in Rymer's neighbor and destroyed porches and garages. About a dozen tractor-trailer rigs were blown onto their sides.

One man was killed in Fort Worth by a pile of lumber that fell on him from his truck during the storm, authorities said.

Air traffic came to a halt at Dallas/Ft. Worth airport as the storms moved through. Passengers had to be evacuated out of the security side of terminals during the height of the storms. The FAA implemented a ground stop order, prohibiting flights from landing. It was not known how many flights were cancelled.

CBS News correspondent Hari Sreenivasan said billboards were shredded like paper.

By Saturday morning, the system was spreading rain from Louisiana to Virginia and across much of the Ohio Valley. Lines of strong thunderstorms rolled across Louisiana.

The weather system was forecast to strengthen when it reaches the East Coast on Sunday and form a nor'easter, a storm that follows the coast northward, with northeasterly wind driving waves and heavy rain.

"This is very odd for this time of year," National Weather Service meteorologist John Koch said Saturday in New York. "This is something that you would expect to see more in the middle of winter."

A flood watch was posted for the New York City region, as the weather service forecast 2 to 4 inches of rain Sunday with wind gusting to 50 mph. Snow and sleet were possible inland, Koch said.

The combination of rain, onshore wind and the approach of one of the spring's highest tides on Tuesday could add up to significant coastal surges, Koch said.

The New York National Guard alerted units that might be needed for emergency work, and Long Island's Suffolk County told emergency workers to be ready for possible duty.

"There is potential for a very bad storm," said Joseph Williams, Suffolk County's commissioner of fire, rescue and emergency services.

Snow continued falling Saturday in eastern Kansas, where some schools and businesses closed Friday as blowing snow created whiteout conditions. Nearly a foot of snow fell near Syracuse, Kan.

NASCAR Nextel Cup qualifying races at Texas Motor Speedway were halted and thousands of fans were advised to move to safety as tornado sirens blared at the speedway in Fort Worth.

A tornado was spotted near Bedford, a suburb between Dallas and Forth Worth, though no damage was reported, the National Weather Service said.

Copyright 2007, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

4 tornadoes, 1 death confirmed in Wednesday's storms
07:06 AM EDT on Friday, April 13, 2007

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The National Weather Service has confirmed that four tornadoes hit central Indiana within three hours during yesterday evening’s storms.

Two suspected tornadoes in Sumter leaves one dead
 

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The National Weather Service has confirmed that four tornadoes hit central Indiana within three hours during yesterday evening’s storms.

The twisters caused damage to houses, barns and garages, but no injuries.

The first hit near Harmony in Clay County at about 4:20 p.m., causing minor tree damage. The same storm produced a tornado about 20 miles northwest of Indianapolis, causing no damage.

The weather service says a third touched down in northern Hendricks County, destroying several garages and barns and damaging some homes.

A fourth twister hit Hamilton County, just north of Indianapolis, at 7:25 p.m. It caused significant damage to a barn and moved a truck and trailer about 15 feet.

The same weather system dropped nearly four inches of snow on South Bend.

 

Michigan man dies of injuries when tree falls, strikes him

 EDDYVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- A Monroe, Michigan man has died after high winds blew a tree onto him in western Kentucky.

McCracken County Coroner Dan Sims says 62-year-old Jackie Carter was visiting his brother. Sims says Carter was walking toward the house with his grandson Wednesday afternoon when a gust of wind snapped a large tree, which fell on Carter. State Trooper Barry Meadows says Carter was taken to the emergency room at Western Baptist Hospital where he died.

Sims says the victim’s death was caused by multiple blunt force trauma injuries.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved

 

April 15, 2007 08:34 AM PST

SUMTER, SC (WIS) - The Sumter County Sheriff's Department says there have been two suspected tornadoes in Sumter County Sunday morning.

Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis tells WIS News 10 that several people saw the tornadoes. 

He said the first tornado was sighted at Pinewood Road near Meriel Road at approximately 8:30am. The second was sighted on Hwy 76 near Brewington Road at approximately 9:00am.

Sheriff Dennis says the suspected tornadoes caused damages to multiple homes and one fatality. Three more people were transported to Tuomey Regional Hospital with injuries.  There are also multiple power lines and trees down.

A WIS news crew on the scene just off of Pinewood Road says they have seen two trees pulled out of the ground by there roots, and one of the trees is on top of a trailer. They also say several trees blew down and there is debris everywhere.  Some trees fell onto the power lines, and knocked the power lines down, breaking some wires.

A WIS news crew on the scene off of Hwy 76 says they have seen two brick homes with the roofs completely blown off.  A neighbor, who saw the tornado hit a trailer there described it like a bomb exploding. 

The sheriff's department says there is a shelter open on Haynsworth Street at the Sumter County Recreation Department.

Storm Alert Weathercaster Brooks Garner says the weather will clear as the day progresses. However, if you're in an area where there's currently a tornado watch or warning, it's best to stay inside. Read more on tornado safety>>

If you must drive, be aware many roads in the Midlands will have the added hazard of gusty conditions.

Brooks says although a cold front follows the system, he is not predicting a freeze tonight.

The weather system will continue to move through the northeast part of the country Monday.

The National Weather Service says an inch of hail was measured in Union County Saturday night. Law enforcement reported trees were down on US Highway 178 and a roof blown off a chicken house in Saluda. The weather service says hail and downed trees were reported in Newberry and Edgefield counties.

Count on WIS News 10 to bring you more information as it becomes available.

Posted by Jackie Faye

North Texas Storms Produced At Least Two Tornadoes

(April 15, 2007)--Meteorologists confirmed that at least two tornadoes touched down during Friday night's storms.

Two people died in the storms, which damaged buildings and homes.

The National Weather Service says the tornado that hit Benbrook, southwest of Fort Worth, caused minor damage.

Harder hit was Haltom City, northeast of Fort Worth

An Irving police officer died after his patrol car slid off a rain-slick highway and hit a light pole.

A man was killed in Fort Worth when a pile of lumber fell on top of him Friday.

Police say 26-year-old Irving officer Andrew Esparza died after his patrol car slid off a rain-slick highway and hit a light pole Friday night.

Police said Esparza was responding to an accident when he lost control of his car and slid off the highway.

The worst damage seems to have been in Haltom City, located just north of Fort Worth.

Roofs were ripped from houses and businesses including a supermarket.

The Valley Missionary Baptist Church there was destroyed.

A residential neighborhood in Haltom City tucked between Interstate 35 and an industrial park suffered a direct hit.

More Local And State News >>More National News >>More Business News >></< a <>Sports >> Weather >>
  Published Sunday, April 15, 2007
 Storm kills five, heads to East Coast
 


By George M. Walsh
The Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. | The Northeast on Saturday braced for a hard-blowing nor’easter that could bring severe coastal flooding, power outages and more than a foot of snow in some places.

As the system blew across the Plains, the unusually violent spring storm rattled Gulf states with violent thunderstorms, raked Texas with at least two tornadoes and was blamed for five deaths.

Severe thunderstorms with a threat of tornadoes rumbled across Alabama on Saturday, dumping rain on some areas suffering from drought conditions.

A tornado warning was in effect through Saturday evening for southwestern Alabama and into Montgomery County.

High winds toppled trees in some areas, including Lowndes County, but no major storm damages were immediately reported as the system tracked into Georgia.

“This is very odd for this time of year,” National Weather Service meteorologist John Koch said Saturday in New York. “This is something that you would expect to see more in the middle of winter.”

A tornado Friday night tore roofs off houses and destroyed porches and garages in Haltom City, Texas. About a dozen tractor-trailer rigs were blown onto their sides.

“I felt my house start shaking like the wind and I ran in here and grabbed my little girl,” Amanda Rymer, 21, said. “As soon as I moved her, the roof fell in right where she was standing.”

A second tornado that night in Benbrook, southwest of Fort Worth, caused minor damage, according to the National Weather Service. More wind damage to power lines, trees and roofs was reported to the east in Dallas and Rockwall counties, but meteorlogists had yet to confirm Saturday whether tornadoes formed there.

One man was killed in Fort Worth by a pile of lumber that fell on him from his truck during Friday’s storm, and a police officer in Irving died when his patrol car slid on wet pavement and struck a utility pole, authorities said.

Three people were killed in Kansas in traffic accidents on highways covered with ice and slush, police said.

Snow stopped falling by Saturday afternoon in eastern Kansas, where some schools and businesses closed Friday as blowing snow created whiteout conditions. Up to 15 inches of snow fell in southwestern Kansas.

By Saturday afternoon, the system was spreading rain from Louisiana to Virginia and across much of the Ohio Valley. Lines of strong thunderstorms rolled across Louisiana and Mississippi into northern Alabama, and the National Weather Service posted tornado warnings for wide areas of Mississippi and some parts of Alabama. By Saturday night the storm reached western South Carolina, where minor wind damage was reported.

The weather system was forecast to strengthen when it reaches the East Coast today and form a nor’easter, a storm that follows the coast northward, with northeasterly wind driving waves and heavy rain.

A flood watch was posted for the New York City region, as the weather service forecast 2 to 4 inches of rain today with wind gusting to 50 mph. Snow and sleet were possible inland, Koch said.

Officials warned that coastal Long Island could see some of its worst flooding since a winter storm that wrecked havoc on the island in late 1992. New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer said some low-lying areas may need to be evacuated, and deployed 3,200 members of the National Guard to areas predicted to be in the storm’s path.

Further north, the National Weather Service said there could be as much as 20 inches of snow possible at higher elevations in the Adirondacks and several inches of rain in the Hudson Valley by the time the storm passes late Monday and Tuesday.

New Jersey was ready for whatever may fall — snow or rain. About 250 trucks were ready to plow and spread salt on state highways if needed. The northwest corner of the state was expecting snow, while the rest of the state was bracing for possible flooding.

“We’re ready for everything, which based upon the forecast, is pretty much what we could get,” said Joe Orlando, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority.

Eagle Pass Area Storm Kills 7 In Texas, 3 In Mexico
 

April 25, 2007 07:01 AM PST

A massive spring storm plowed toward the Midwest early Wednesday after dumping more than a foot of snow on the Colorado foothills and spawning a tornado that killed nine people along the Texas-Mexico border. 

Seven of the victims were killed a few miles south of Eagle Pass, about 150 miles southwest of San Antonio. Four of the dead were apparently in one mobile home when the tornado hit Tuesday night, Eagle Pass Mayor Chad Foster said.

The tornado destroyed an elementary school, more than 20 nearby homes and the Eagle Pass municipal sewer treatment plant. Nobody was in the school when the tornado hit, Foster said.

"I'm out here on-site and I'm looking at what used to be an elementary school," Foster said by cell phone early Wednesday morning. "Six mobile homes are still missing."

A local hospital received 74 injured patients, including four in critical condition.

Everywhere around Eagle Pass people said they cannot ever remember a time when a tornado hit this part of Texas, reports Drew Roesgen for CBS News.

Across the border in Piedras Negras, Mexico, at least three people