10:00 p.m.
The Grady County Sheriff’s Office says a zoo about 25 miles southwest of Oklahoma City has been hit by a tornado.
Alisa Voegeli, a dispatcher at the sheriff’s office, says the zoo’s owner and a deputy are on scene inspecting the damage.
Voegeli says residents in the Tuttle area are advised to stay in their homes because of the possibility that animals may have escaped.
9:45 p.m.
A flood emergency has been declared in Oklahoma City after storms dumped several inches of rain.
City spokesman Kristy Yager says it’s the first flood emergency in Oklahoma City’s history.
Yager says the southern part of the city saw more than 6 inches of rain Wednesday.
She says it hasn’t been safe yet to send crews to evaluate damage and barricade trouble spots. She says the city is waiting until the weather clears.
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9:30 p.m.
It looks like another tornado may have grazed Oklahoma City.
Meteorologist Michael Scotten with the National Weather Service in Norman says a second storm moved through around 8:40 p.m. He says initial damage reports indicate a tornado touched down on the south side of Oklahoma City.
He says the weather service has received reports of power lines across Interstate 35 and numerous overturned vehicles.
He says the storm system seems to be weakening.
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7:30 p.m.
Dozens of homes have been destroyed by tornadoes on the outskirts of the Oklahoma City area.
Grady County Emergency Services director Dale Thompson said preliminary estimates indicate about 10 homes were destroyed in Amber. He says about 25 more homes in Bridge Creek were destroyed or have major damage.
A strong storm system produced tornadoes that struck the towns Wednesday afternoon.
Thompson says he has heard no reports of any injuries.
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7:15 p.m.
The terminal at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City is being evacuated a second time as strong storms that have produced tornadoes approached the area.
Airport spokeswoman Karen Carney says in an email that the terminal was being evacuated about 7 p.m. Wednesday because of a storm system south of the airport. She did not immediately return a phone call for comment.
Carney said in the email that no aircraft are currently arriving at the airport.
Carney said earlier that several hundred people were moved into a tunnel beneath the terminal shortly after 5 p.m. because of threatening storms then, and were allowed to return to the terminal shortly before 6 p.m.
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7 p.m.
A line of severe storms has rumbled through Kansas, producing at least nine tornadoes.
But as of 7 p.m. Wednesday, there were no reports of any injuries.
The National Weather Service said the strongest tornadoes were in the sparsely populated north-central part of the state. That includes a large and extremely dangerous tornado that was spotted near the tiny town of Republic just south of the Nebraska state line, moving northeast at 35 mph.
The Republic County Sheriff’s Office said it’s received reports of damage to some rural homes.
Farther south, a tornado in Harvey County north of Wichita at 5:06 p.m. destroyed a hog barn and damaged trees, the weather service said.
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6:45 p.m.
Portions of two major interstates in Oklahoma are closed due to tornado debris in the roadway.
Oklahoma Turnpike Authority spokesman Jack Damrill said Wednesday that Interstate 44 is closed from Chickasha to Newcastle. A large storm that produced tornadoes, heavy rain and damaging winds tracked for several miles along I-44.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol spokesman Lt. John Vincent said traffic is being diverted at Chickasha and Newcastle.
Vincent also said Interstate 35 is closed at Tecumseh Road in Norman because of power lines blown down and across the interstate. Vincent said southbound lanes of I-35 at Moore are closed because of an auto accident. He didn’t know if the accident was related to the storms.
Vincent said he’s aware of no fatalities or injuries due to the storms.
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6:30 p.m.
A National Weather Service official says a tornado has hit Roseland, a rural town of fewer than 250 people about eight miles southwest of Hastings, damaging between 10 and 15 homes.
Angela Pfannkuch (FAHN-cue), a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hastings, says the tornado hit at 4:22 p.m. Wednesday. She said while her office was aware that homes had been damaged, she did not know the extent of the damage. Pfannkuch said her office was not aware of any injuries.
Dawna Whitcomb with the Adams County Emergency Management said her office was busy coordinating with the American Red Cross to help any households displaced by the tornado.
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6:20 p.m.
The terminal at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City had to be evacuated as strong storms that produced tornadoes approached the area.
Airport spokeswoman Karen Carney says several hundred people were moved into a tunnel shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday. Airport security was allowed to leave about 5:40 p.m. Passengers were allowed to return to the terminal about 10 minutes later.
Carney says flight delays are expected because of the storms and lightning in the area and passengers on flights that arrived during the storm were experiencing delays in getting their luggage.
She said that as of shortly after 6 p.m. the airlines were working to resume flights.
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5:45 p.m.
A storm that produced tornadoes across parts of southwestern Oklahoma is bearing down on suburban Oklahoma City during the evening rush hour.
Forecasters have declared a tornado emergency for Moore, which was hit hard two years ago.
Forecasters had warned that severe storms could strike through much of Tornado Alley. Twisters were also reported in Kansas and Nebraska.
No injuries have been reported in Wednesday’s weather. Local television stations reported that some storm spotters had seen signs of damage southwest of the Oklahoma capital.
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5:30 p.m.
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado emergency for the Oklahoma towns of Newcastle and Bridge Creek, on the edge of the Oklahoma City area.
Meteorologist Michael Scotten with the weather service in Norman said the designation means there is the possibility of a large tornado that could lead to significant damage and deaths.
The tornado emergency was issued shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday as the storm system moved toward southern Oklahoma City. Scotten said radar images indicate the tornado could be an EF2, with wind speeds of 113-157 miles per hour.
The emergency comes after the storm system produced at least one weak tornado and possibly others as it moved through sparsely populated areas of southwestern Oklahoma Wednesday afternoon.
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5 p.m.
Officials say a tornado has hit Roseland, a rural Nebraska town of fewer than 250 people.
Angela Pfannkuch (FAHN-cue), a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Hastings, says the tornado hit at 4:22 p.m. Wednesday. She said her office learned of the tornado from the Adams County Emergency Management office. The weather service was sending someone to the town to try to confirm that a tornado hit the area.
Dawna Whitcomb with the Adams County office said no serious injuries had been reported by 5 p.m. Her office was busy coordinating with the American Red Cross to help any households displaced by the tornado.
Whitcomb said she did not yet know whether the tornado had caused any serious damage to homes and buildings.
