Several dead and dozens injured after apparent tornado ripped through Valley View, Texas, sheriff says

At least five people were killed and dozens were injured when an apparent tornado ripped through a community north of Dallas, Texas, Saturday evening, law enforcement said.

Children were among the dead, Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington told WFAA. At least two children were also missing, he added.

Sheriff Sappington told The Associated Press that the five dead included three family members found in a home near Valley View, a rural community near the Oklahoma border.

“We have five confirmed (deaths), but unfortunately we think that number is likely to increase,” Sappington said. “There's nothing left of that house. All that's left is a trail of debris. The devastation is pretty bad.”

The storm ravaged a roadside travel center near Valley View, Texas, before continuing through a manufactured home community, the sheriff said.

Forecasters had issued tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings for parts of both states as some heat records were broken during the day in South Texas and residents received triple-digit temperature warnings during the long holiday weekend.

A tornado crossed northern Texas' Denton County Saturday evening and overturned tractor-trailers, halting traffic on Interstate 35, Denton County Community Relations Director Dawn Cobb said in a statement .

The tornado was confirmed near Valley View, moving east at 40 mph, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a tornado warning for northern Denton County, Cobb said.

The storm damaged homes, overturned RVs and toppled power lines and trees throughout the region, including Sanger, Pilot Point, Ray Roberts Lake and Isle du Bois State Park, Cobb said.

People injured in the storm were transported to area hospitals by ground and air ambulances, but the number of injured in the county was not immediately known, Cobb said, while a shelter was opened in Sanger.

Firefighters in the town of Denton, about 37 miles (59.5 kilometers) north of Forth Worth, Texas, posted on X that emergency personnel were responding to a marina “for multiple victims, some reported trapped.”

Police in Claremore, Oklahoma, announced on social media that the town, about 28 miles (45 kilometers) east of Tulsa, had been “shut down” due to storm damage, including downed power lines. , trees and inaccessible roads.

Earlier Saturday evening, the National Weather Service office in Norman, Oklahoma, said via the social platform City. “If you are in the path of this storm, take shelter now!” It said.

A subsequent message at 10:05 p.m. said the storms had left the area, but warned of a storm moving through North Texas and possibly affecting parts of south-central Oklahoma.

At 10:24 p.m., the Fort Worth Weather Service office issued a message warning residents of Era and Valley View that they were in the direct path of a possible tornado and should immediately seek shelter. The Forth Worth office continued to post shelter advisories and warnings tracking the storm's movement until midnight and separately issued a severe thunderstorm warning with “bullet-sized hail.” golf” possible.

The Weather Service office in Tulsa, Oklahoma, warned the X of a dangerous storm moving through the northeastern part of the state until 2 a.m. and issued severe thunderstorm advisories for communities such as Hugo, Boswell, Fort Towson, Grainola, Foraker and Herd.

Excessive heat, especially in May, posed a danger in South Texas, where the heat index was expected to approach 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius) in some places over the weekend. Actual temperatures will be lower, although still in the triple digit range, but the humidity will make it feel even hotter.

April and May were a busy month for tornadoes, especially in the Midwest. Climate change is increasing the severity of storms around the world.

In April, the United States recorded the second highest number of tornadoes on record. So far for 2024, the country is already 25% ahead of the average number of tornadoes, according to the Storm Prediction Center in Norman.

Iowa was hit hard last week, when a deadly tornado devastated Greenfield. And other storms caused flooding and wind damage elsewhere in the state.

The storm system causing the severe weather was expected to move east as the Memorial Day weekend continued, bringing rain that could delay Sunday's Indianapolis 500 race in Indiana and more severe storms in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Kentucky.

The risk of severe weather shifts to North Carolina and Virginia on Monday, forecasters said.

This is a developing story. Please check again for updates.

AP News contributed to this report.