Strong storm flips over RVs in Oklahoma and leaves 1 person dead

PAWNEE, Okla. (AP) — A strong storm moved through part of Oklahoma, flipping over several camping vehicles and downing trees and power lines, authorities said. One death was reported.

Investigators planned to go to the area Friday afternoon, but there was no radar evidence to indicate that Thursday night’s storm included a tornado, said National Weather Service meteorologist Pete Snyder in Tulsa.

“It looks like straight-line winds,” Snyder said. “You don’t know for sure until somebody goes out and looks.”

Early Friday, the city of Pawnee asked residents to move about the area carefully and said there were several areas still without power.

“Crews have worked through the night and are still out,” according to the city.

The city earlier said damage was significant, with several roads closed.

The weather service received wind gust reports of up to 72 mph (116 kph) and hail the size of golf balls, Snyder said,

One person died in an RV that flipped, said Pawnee County Sheriff Darrin Varnell. He said others were damaged and people “essentially lost just about everything they own in a matter of seconds.”

Pawnee Public Schools and the Pawnee Public Library were closed Friday due to storm damage. The school’s homecoming activities Thursday night were canceled because of the weather.

Pawnee, which has about 1,900 people, is in northeast Oklahoma, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) west of Tulsa.

The Associated Press