1 dead after catastrophic tornado levels Barnsdall, Oklahoma

BARNSDALL, Okla. – One person has died after a devastating tornado destroyed homes and toppled power lines as it moved through a small town northeast of Oklahoma City on Monday evening.

The National Weather Service (NWS) reports that Barnsdall, a town of about 1,000 people located a 40-minute drive north of Tulsa, was leveled about 10 p.m. by a tornado that rated at least EF-3 strength on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. 

The nearby town of Bartlesville also suffered severe damage from the same tornado. Multiple injuries are reported, but the exact number has yet to be confirmed. Damage surveys will continue on Tuesday. 

DEADLY TORNADO RIPS THROUGH BARNSDALL, OKLAHOMA, AS SEVERE WEATHER PRODUCES CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE IN CENTRAL US

A Tornado Emergency, the most dire of tornado alerts, was issued for Osage County in Oklahoma on Monday evening as the storm approached. The NWS referred to a “large and destructive tornado” moving towards Barnsdall and causing catastrophic damage.

Osage County Emergency Management Director Jerry Roberts told FOX Weather that Oklahoma Task Force 1 Tulsa, along with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and crews from numerous jurisdictions, arrived in Barnsdall overnight to aid in the search for survivors.

“Right now, we have a big area of total destruction,” Roberts adds.

According to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, as many as 40 homes were damaged in the Barnsdall area. Multiple reports of natural gas leaks and debris in roadways led to the closure of numerous roads.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health said the town’s nursing home was damaged, and patients were evacuated to nearby facilities. No nursing home patients suffered injuries requiring hospital care, state officials said.

The Tornado Emergency for Barnsdall was just the second one ever issued by the NWS in Tulsa, and one of 13 Tornado Warnings issued by that office on Monday. It was the first tornado to hit Barnsdall since 2008.