Texas tornado warning: Video shows Walmart shoppers being dragged as South now faces flooding

Several areas of the southern US are under tornado watch alerts

Texans flee for cover as tornado touches down in Round Rock

A storm system that passed through Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama overnight spawning multiple tornadoes left at least one person dead and 19 hospitalised.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott called the destruction “devastating”, and said it was a “miracle” that more people were not killed immediately.

Several videos and pictures captured on Monday night showed powerful tornadoes cause massive damage to RVs, houses and schools with one video showing a truck driver having near escape after getting tossed into air.

Another video also showed a tornado approaching a Walmart in Round Rock, not far from Austin, which forced customers to flee the oncoming twister.

At least one person was injured when they were dragged across the parking lot, according to footage.

An estimated 22 million people remained at risk of coming into the path of severe storms moving toward the north east on Tuesday.

Key points

• One person dead in Texas tornadoes - report
• Tornadoes ruins buildings, grounds flights and shuts highways in Texas and Oklahoma
• At least four injured as storms wreak havoc in Texas

[22 March 2022 15:25 · Megan Sheets]

Twitter users react to wild video of truck caught in twister

Video of a pickup truck being tossed by a twister has gone viral as Twitter users share their shock that the driver appeared to survive unscathed.

The footage shot by storm chaser Brian Emfinger shows a twister cutting across a highway and knocking the truck on its side.

The truck ultimately landed upright and drove off, drawing bewilderment from viewers.

The Independent’s Johanna Chisholm has more:

[22 March 2022 16:38 · Megan Sheets]

Shoppers sprint for shelter inside Texas Walmart

Wild video captured customers fleeing for shelter inside a Walmart as a tornado ripped through the store’s parking lot.

A severe storm system tore across Texas and several neighbouring states on Monday evening, leveling dozens of buildings and leaving at least one person dead.

The Austin area appeared to suffer the brunt of the damage as twisters touched down during rush hour.

One tornado wrought havoc on the parking lot of a Walmart in Round Rock, where an employee filmed video of shoppers racing inside.

“Get inside! Get inside! Run! Run! Run!” the man is heard screaming. “Get away from the windows.”

The Independent’s Megan Sheets has more:

[22 March 2022 16:55 · Megan Sheets]

Southeast Louisiana under tornado watch until 7pm

A large part of southeast Louisiana has been placed under a tornado watch until 7pm local time Tuesday.

The National Weather Service warned storms could spawn tornados, winds of up to 75 miles per hour and hail the size of golf balls.

“We have all the right ingredients for severe weather,” NWS meteorologist Julie Lesko said. “Plenty of moisture from the Gulf, saturating through all levels of the atmosphere, combined with lots of atmospheric lift ahead of a very strong cold front. We also have a very strong jet stream aloft to enhance the storms, causing the air to want to rise.”

[22 March 2022 17:33 · Megan Sheets]

Whats the difference between a tornado warning and watch?

With large parts of the southern US currently on alert, here’s how the National Weather Service defines a tornado watch versus tornado warning:

Watch: “Be Prepared! Tornadoes are possible in and near the watch area. Review and discuss your emergency plans and check supplies and your safe room. Be ready to act quickly if a warning is issued or you suspect a tornado is approaching. Acting early helps to save lives! Watches are issued by the Storm Prediction Center for counties where tornadoes may occur. The watch area is typically large, covering numerous counties or even states.”

Warning: “Take Action! A tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. There is imminent danger to life and property. Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If in a mobile home, a vehicle, or outdoors, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris. Warnings are issued by your local forecast office. Warnings typically encompass a much smaller area (around the size of a city or small county) that may be impacted by a tornado identified by a forecaster on radar or by a trained spotter/law enforcement who is watching the storm.”

[22 March 2022 17:50 · Megan Sheets]

Miracle as only one person injured in mobile home flipped by twister

Only one person was injured when a mobile home tossed into the air by a tornado in Elgin, Texas, on Monday.

Elgin Mayor Ron Ramirez shared the uplifting news with KVUE on Tuesday as residents of his town began sifting through the wreckage of their homes.

[22 March 2022 18:04 · Megan Sheets]

Tornado reported in Mississippi

The National Weather Service has reportedly confirmed a tornado touched down in Mississippi just before 1pm local time Tuesday.

The twister was said to have formed between Canton and Pickens as officials keep a close watch on storms throughout the state.