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At least 6 injured after storms that spawned tornadoes leave a trail of destruction in parts of Oklahoma
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At least 6 injured after storms that spawned tornadoes leave a trail of destruction in parts of Oklahoma

At least six people were injured as strong storms moved through parts of Oklahoma early Sunday, with tornadoes and flooding reported overnight, authorities said.

The six injured people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, said Valerie Littlejohn, public information officer for the Oklahoma City Police Department.

Several structures were also damaged in the area, along with power lines, trees, gas lines, traffic signals and traffic signs, she said.

Video of the damage from CNN affiliate KOCO it shows overturned cars and entire houses shredded. The storms toppled telephone poles and snapped trees in half. Debris is scattered around the affected areas, including large pieces of wood and metal from buildings that were torn apart.

About 95,000 customers in Oklahoma were without power Sunday morning, according to power outage.us.

Tornadoes were reported just east of Oklahoma City, and tornado and thunderstorm warnings are in effect for the Oklahoma City area, National Meteorological Service said.

“Folks, don’t let your guard down too much – we’re already starting to see the atmosphere begin to recover ahead of another round of storms, heavy rain, flooding and potential severe weather today,” the weather service said in a post on X.

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said they are monitoring severe weather.

Flooding on Interstate 35 closed all but one northbound lane near Forest Park in the Oklahoma City area. Oklahoma Department of Transportation said.

The Oklahoma City Fire Department responded to several vehicles that were flooded due to heavy rains, according to the department’s public information officer, Scott Douglas.

Around 1:20 local time, the weather service ADVISED a severe storm with a tornado was moving through eastern Oklahoma City toward Midwest City and Tinker Air Force Base. A tornado warning was issued for more than 300,000 people in Moore, Midwest City and Del City.

The University of Oklahoma told students and staff at its Norman campus to “Take shelter NOW in the building you are in. Move to lowest floor/interior”.

Nocturnal tornadoes are twice as deadly as daytime ones, research shows. Nocturnal tornadoes are difficult to spot in the dark, and those sleeping may not be aware that danger is near.

Exist increased concern on this week’s tornado threat, given what a prolific year it has been for U.S. twisters. The number of tornadoes reported so far this year is the second highest on record, trailing only 2,156 in 2011.

Violent storms are most common in the spring and summer, but a second wave of dangerous storms and tornadoes occurs in the fall and winter as cold air from the north often collides with warmer, moist air coming out of the Gulf of Mexico.

CNN’s Mike Madrigal contributed to this report.

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