Severe storms moved through Oklahoma around sunrise Thursday, producing two tornadoes and high winds that damaged buildings, downed trees and caused power outages, officials said.
A tornado rated at least an EF1 struck the area of Purcell, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) south of Oklahoma City, said Phillip Ware, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norman. Ware said wind speeds for the tornado were between 86 and 110 mph (138 to 177 kph).
Ware also said crews would survey damage in the Shawnee area, where another tornado was confirmed by radar. “We’re confident we had at least two tornadoes this morning,” Ware said Thursday morning.
Officials said there were no immediate reports of major injuries or deaths. Bobby Elmore, chief of police and interim city manager in Purcell, said much of the city was without power after the storm moved through there and that some metal barns and the roofs of some homes were damaged.
Elmore said, “Right now our priority is just restoring power and then dealing with debris, a little debris. But it’s not too bad.” He said two Purcell schools were closed Thursday after losing power, and the district’s closure letter described the storm as occurring during the morning drop-off.
In a letter posted on the Purcell Public Schools website, Superintendent Sheli McAdoo thanked staff for helping move students from buses and hallways into shelters during the incident. McAdoo wrote that staff ensured students were moved “from buses and hallways into shelters in a matter of moments” within “a matter of moments.”
In McClain County, where Purcell is located, Ron Johnson, the county’s director of emergency management, said around eight or nine outbuildings were damaged, along with trees and power lines. Officials also said a semitrailer traveling on Interstate 35 near Purcell was blown over in the storm.
In Shawnee, a city of about 32,000 located about 40 miles (64 kilometers) southeast of Oklahoma City, Kaitlin Schueth, lead meteorologist with the weather service in Norman, said there were reports of damaged outbuildings and a hotel with some roof damage. Schueth said the storms brought wind gusts of up to 65 mph (105 kph) to the Oklahoma City area.