Tornadoes Reported Near Oklahoma City

At least three tornadoes touched down in communities south of Oklahoma City on Thursday night as parts of the region remained under a tornado warning, the National Weather Service said.

Forecasters at the National Weather Service’s Norman office encouraged people to immediately take cover.

A tornado warning was in place for central Cleveland County and west central Pottawatomie County until 11 p.m. Central time.

Ping-Pong-size hail was possible, forecasters said, as were winds that could damage homes or topple trees.

Tornadoes were confirmed to have touched down in north Noble, Cole and Rush Springs between 7:45 p.m. and about 9:15 p.m. Central time, the Weather Service said. No injuries or deaths were immediately reported.

Storm spotters reported some damage in Noble, like downed power poles, debris and some building damage, according to The Oklahoman.

McClain County Sheriff Landy Offolter said in an interview with KWTV-DT, a TV station in Oklahoma City, that he was not aware of any major damages or injuries in the area but that police were patroling the roads and checking homes.

Tornadoes were also spotted in Kansas and Nebraska.

Three storms are continuing to move through Oklahoma and have the possibility to produce a tornado, forecasters at the Weather Service in Norman said.

“Storm coverage is increasing across south central Oklahoma, as well as north central Oklahoma,” the Weather Service said in a tweet. “Stay weather aware this evening!”

In April, three people were killed in or near Cole when a storm system spawned several tornadoes. The storm displaced residents, damaged homes and left thousands without power.

Scientists are not yet able to determine whether there is a link between climate change and the frequency or strength of tornadoes. But they do say that tornadoes seem to be occurring in greater clusters in recent years and that the region of the United States where most tornadoes occur, an area of the Great Plains known as Tornado Alley, appears to be shifting eastward.