The unwelcome and increasingly familiar sound of tornado warning sirens were heard in yet another state early Wednesday, as officials warned residents in parts of Texas of the possibility that funnel clouds may touch down. The warning covered much of Texas County, following an alert by the National Weather Service that reported cloud formations favorable to the formation of tornadoes.
The Texas County twisters never materialized, to the relief of residents there, but warnings were also issued for North Texas as well, disrupting air travel as potential passengers were forced to evacuate Dallas airports ahead of storms. The area suffered hail and high winds, but fortunately no tornadoes. Airport officials were reportedly being cautious about reopening the airports before inspecting aircraft for damage from the hailstorm.
With the slew of violent storms that have whipped across the central and southern U.S. in recent months have come widespread devastation and an increasingly heavy loss of life. The tornado that leveled Joplin, Mo., on Sunday is now known to have claimed the lives of at least 125 people, with hundreds more still missing.
Just a few days later, more tornadoes in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas claimed the lives of an additional 14 people. That storm system is heading eastward, placing Arkansas, Mississippi, Indiana and Illinois on alert for more tornado activity.
Several media outlets have reported on the alarmingly high rate of tornado activity so far this year. The United States averages approximately 700 tornadoes in the first half of any given year, yet 2011 has already seen more than 1,200 funnels, with at least 500 dead. Weather forecasters blame the patterns of La Nina for the increased activity, and warn that this may be just the beginning.
Not good news for places like Joplin, where search-and-rescue efforts continued through the night on Tuesday and into Wednesday despite the threat of more storms and tornadoes. So far more than 17 people have been pulled from the wreckage. 823 are reported as injured, and an unknown number, thought to be in the hundreds, are still missing.
