Deadly tornado reported in Oklahoma after barrage of destructive storms

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Powerful storms moved through Oklahoma late Monday night, including a powerful tornado that hit Barnsdall, Oklahoma, where extensive damage and at least one death was reported. 

The severe storm threat is ongoing across the Central US Tuesday, with the strongest storms expected across the Ohio Valley, but storms are possible from Texas to Pennsylvania.

Here are some forecast details:

Nearly 190 storm reports were made across the US on Monday, according to the Storm Prediction Center, including the tornado that hit Barnsdall, Oklahoma, leaving at least one person dead and extensive damage.

There were more than 100 high wind gust reports, with the most notable being an 82 mph gust reported in Chester, Oklahoma.

So far, there have been more than 70 large hail reports, with the most notable being a hail report of 4 inches in diameter reported in Moonlight, Kansas. 

More than 7 million people remain under tornado watches at this time across parts of Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa and Illinois. 

Authorities in Osage County, Oklahoma, are responding to a gas leak after a tornado struck the area, damaging dozens of homes, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said.

In the city of Barnsdall, several roads have been closed due to fallen debris as emergency crews work to evacuate residents and carry out rescues, the department said in a release.

"Crews from the numerous jurisdictions are responding to assist with medical transport, traffic and perimeter control, and search and rescue," it added.

Several other counties in the region have reported flooded roads, power outages and damage to homes, barns and other community buildings, the release said.

After a night of severe storms brought tornadoes, damaging wind gusts, large hail and heavy rain across parts of the Central US, the severe storm threat heads to more populated areas of the East on Tuesday.

Nearly 100 million people from Texas to Pennsylvania are under a severe storm threat, Tuesday, though the Ohio Valley is likely to see the worst of the storms, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

The strongest threat, level 3 of 5, covers most of Indiana, as well as northern Kentucky and western Ohio. The area includes Indianapolis, Columbus and Cincinnati in Ohio and Lexington, Kentucky.

"A few tornadoes, potentially strong, large to very large hail, and severe/damaging winds all appear possible" in the region, the Storm Prediction Center warns.

The area surrounding this region is under a less severe, level 2 of 5, threat, which stretches from the northeastern tip of Arkansas to southern Michigan, including Chicago and Nashville. 

This area could also see isolated tornadoes, large hail and damaging wind gusts.

A much larger area extending from Texas to Wisconsin and east into Pennsylvania is under a low risk, level 1 of 5 of severe storms, including hail and strong winds. Cities in the area include Dallas, Austin, Detroit, Memphis, Birmingham, Charlotte and Pittsburgh.

On Wednesday, the storms will continue to soak the East from the southern Plains into the mid-Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys, the prediction center forecasts.

"All severe hazards, including tornadoes, very large hail, and severe/damaging winds should occur. Some of the tornadoes may be strong," the prediction center said.

At least one person is dead and several others are injured after dangerous storms churned up a tornado in Osage County, Oklahoma, Monday night.

“There’s a lot of damage between Bartlesville and Barnsdall along the path of the tornado, a lot of houses damaged -- some completely torn up. We’ve got one confirmed fatality and multiple injuries,” Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virden said in an on-air interview with CNN affiliate KOKI.

Residents in the area were already recovering from another tornado that hit Barnsdall just over a month ago

“Basically, the tornado took the same path that it did through Barnsdall several weeks ago,” the sheriff said.

A tornado tore a path of destruction through the city of Barnsdall, Oklahoma, Monday night, ripping apart homes, downing power lines and burying cars under tree limbs, video taken by a storm chaser shows.

Winds were powerful enough to flip a large RV upside down and rip massive chunks of roof off several homes, the video shows. Some walls and ceilings are collapsed completely.

At least one building was reduced to a pile of twisted metal and wooden beams. Elsewhere, residents surveyed tangled piles of debris and belongings blanketing the yard outside a home.

Residents stepped over downed power lines as they helped loved ones safely out of damaged homes and carried their pets through the damp streets as emergency crew vehicles lined the roads.

A tornado watch has been issued for parts of western Illinois and eastern Missouri until 8 a.m. CDT.

More than 3 million people live in the area covered by the watch, which includes St. Louis, Missouri.

Storms could unleash a few tornadoes, scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph and large hail to 1 inch in diameter.

Several tornado watches are currently in effect across the Central US, including parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and Iowa.

The National Weather Service rates the strength of tornadoes using the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale, which ranks tornadoes from 0 to 5 by assessing damage and determining wind speed.

Here's the damage associated with each level:

EF0: 65- to 85-mph wind gusts

These tornadoes are the least destructive and typically break tree branches, damage road signs and push over small, shallow-rooted trees.

EF1: 86- to 110-mph wind gusts

With similar wind speeds to weak hurricanes, these tornadoes can push moving cars off course, shift mobile homes from their foundations and remove roof surfaces.

EF2: 111- to 135-mph wind gusts

Significant damage starts to emerge from these tornadoes, which can snap or uproot trees, destroy mobile homes and tear roofs completely off homes.

They also can pick up small objects and turn them into dangerous projectiles.

EF3: 136- to 165-mph wind gusts

These tornadoes produce severe damage, uprooting nearly all trees in their path, blowing over large vehicles like trains and buses and significantly damaging buildings.

Less than 5% of all tornadoes are rated EF3 or higher.

EF4: 166- to 200-mph wind gusts

Easily destroying homes, tossing cars and downing large trees, these tornadoes can be devastating.

EF5: 200+-mph wind gusts

These monsters cause complete devastation, flattening nearly everything in their path.

They are rare, with only 59 have been recorded in the United States since 1950, according to the Storm Prediction Center.