Sulphur, OK Devastated: Tornado's Impact on Downtown

Source FOX Weather

Photo byLillian FisheronUnsplash

SULPHUR, Okla. – A downtown stretch of an Oklahomacommunity was wiped out during a tornado outbreak on Saturday night.

Widespread damage and at least two deaths have been reported after 16 reports of tornadoes across Oklahoma on Saturday. During the severe weather outbreak, the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, issued 59 Tornado Warnings on Saturday, the most issued in a signal day for the NWS office.

Survey teams with the NWS in Norman have found at least EF-3 damage in Sulphur and Marietta, Oklahoma, based on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. Further investigation is needed to determine if the preliminary rating will go higher or not.

Gov. Kevin Stitt said at least one person died in Sulphur where a tornado caused widespread damage overnight.

Drone video and images from the ground show parts of West Muskogee Avenue in Sulphur are unrecognizable after a tornado tore through the area with local businesses, including restaurants, art boutiques and gift shops.

"Definitely the most damage since I've been governor that I've seen," Stitt said during a news conference Sunday in Sulphur. "I've seen a lot of damage. I've been around the state for, this is my sixth year, but what I saw in downtown Sulphur is unbelievable."

The morning after the storm, the owners of the Mix Mercantile, a boutique selling clothing, home goods and more, found their business in a state of disaster. Owner Christy Morris shared the images below of what she found in the daylight.

Images from Google Street Maps taken before Saturday show what the shopping and dining area looked like before the tornado tore the buildings apart.

From visuals from right after the tornado in the darkness, it's hard to distinguish what used to be a building that housed a shop or another local business.

After a weekend of severe weather outbreaks from Iowa to Texas, National Weather Service storm damage survey teams continue to assess the destruction in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma.

In Oklahoma, authorities have confirmed at least four deaths during the severe weather.

Numerous towns in Oklahoma, including Sulphur, Marietta, Ardmore, Holdenville, Mills Creek and Dickson, suffered significant damage from the severe weather outbreak.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Sitt declared a state of emergency for 12 counties impacted by severe weather.