Weather Tornado Warning as Oklahoma Braces for Second Round of Storms on Friday
A weather tornado warning is part of the unfolding threat as Oklahoma prepares for a second round of storms on Friday, following multiple tornadoes that touched down across northwestern parts of the state on Thursday night.
Emergency crews in Major County said a mother and her daughter were killed after their vehicle was struck by what authorities believe was a tornado during the Thursday night severe weather, and most of the damage there was reported near the Cimarron River. A Tornado Warning was issued for Beckham County until 10: 45 p. m. Thursday ET, and a tornado was captured touching down near Fairview by a storm tracker. Northwestern Oklahoma saw widespread power impacts; hundreds of homes lost power, and about 150 customers in Major County remained without service after the storm.
Falcon second system set to sweep through Thursday into Friday
The state is tracking two large storm systems this week. The first moved through Tuesday into Wednesday, and a slower second system will bring another round of storms Thursday, Friday and even Saturday. The second system carries the potential for severe thunderstorms along a cold front sweeping through the state on Friday, with the dryline in western Oklahoma possibly activating Thursday evening.
Weather Tornado Warning in Beckham County and northwestern impacts
Thursday night’s activity left concentrated impacts across northwest Oklahoma. Power was knocked out north of Chester but has since been restored in that area; crews continue to assess damage. Authorities said most of the damage in Major County clustered near the Cimarron River, while emergency teams had not received notifications of any homes being directly struck at the time of initial assessments. A Tornado Warning for Beckham County ran until 10: 45 p. m. Thursday ET.
Risk outlook through the weekend
Forecasters have highlighted a persistent threat over multiple days. The Storm Prediction Center placed a Marginal Risk for hail with the first system and has issued Slight Risks for western Oklahoma tied to the approaching second system. Forecasts indicate the heaviest rainfall will fall east of I-44, and the front associated with the slower system could keep severe threats in the region through Saturday.
On-the-ground observations included storm-chaser video of a touchdown near Fairview and spot reports of widespread outages across northwestern counties. Power restoration north of Chester was completed after outages caused by the storms, while roughly 150 Major County customers continued to experience service interruptions.
Emergency officials and weather teams are urging residents in the path of the second system to monitor local warnings and be prepared for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes on Thursday night into Friday. Recovery and damage assessments are ongoing in Major County following the deadly Thursday night strike.
The state will monitor the second system through Friday, with storms possible into Saturday. Officials plan continued damage surveys and power-restoration work in affected communities as the next rounds of storms approach.
