Powerful storms bring tornadoes to Oklahoma, large hail to Kansas

Severe storms hit central US, bringing tornadoes to Oklahoma and hail to Kansas, with high-risk weather warning in effect.

Powerful storms have erupted in the central United States, bringing tornadoes to rural Oklahoma and large hail in parts of Kansas, with forecasters warning that the dangerous weather could stretch into the early hours of Tuesday (May 7), amid a rare high-risk weather warning for the two states.

“You can't rely on waiting to see tornadoes before sheltering tonight,” the National Weather Service said on May 6.

Gusty winds and heavy rains began on Monday afternoon, while tornadoes were spotted after dark skirting northern Oklahoma, including one that touched down about a 45-minute drive north of Tulsa.

“At one point, a storm in the small town of Covington had “produced tornadoes off and on for over an hour,” the National Weather Service said. Throughout the area, wind farm turbines spun rapidly in the wind and blinding rain.

In Kansas, some areas were pelted by apple-sized hail, three inches (7.6 centimetres) in diameter.

The storms tore through Oklahoma as areas, including Sulphur and Holdenville, were still recovering from a tornado that killed four and left thousands without power late last month. Both the Plains and Midwest have been hammered by tornadoes this spring.

Oklahoma's State Emergency Operations Centre, which coordinates storm response from a bunker near the state Capitol, remains activated from last weekend's deadly storms.