Severe Weather, Heavy Rain Continue to Pummel the Plains

Thousands were left without power and homes were damaged.

ByABC News
May 17, 2015, 7:35 AM

— -- Another round of severe weather hit the central plains Saturday night, downing power lines and destroying several homes.

More than 25 tornadoes were reported on Saturday with Oklahoma and northern Texas receiving the bulk of the storms.

Power lines and trees were downed by up to 80 mile per hour wind gusts stretching from Texas to Missouri, and there were homes damaged - or completely destroyed - in Oklahoma.

Six to 12 homes were damaged in Rogers County, Oklahoma, with two or three completely demolished, Sgt. Logan Eller told ABC news overnight. He said one family was trapped in their home but that the sheriff's office was able to get them out safely.

Earlier in the day a tornado in Elmer, Oklahoma also caused heavy structural damage.

At times during the storm more than 13,000 were without power in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and 11,000 in Oklahoma City.

In Kansas City, the severe thunderstorms brought heavy rains that caused flash flooding, with up to four inches of rain falling in the Kansas City metro area, causing impassable roads and water rescues.

Severe weather continues to threaten the midsection of the country today with large hail and strong winds expected in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. Heavy rain is also expected to continue for much of the Midwest.