5 Dead in Oklahoma Tornadoes

Yesterday had been predicted to be an active storm day in Oklahoma and Kansas and the predictions came true:

Violent storms that tore through the southern Plains killed five people and injured dozens more, leaving behind flattened homes, toppled semitrailers and downed power lines.

Several tornadoes were reported in Oklahoma and Kansas on Monday as the storms moved through the area, dumping hail as big as baseballs, splintering mobile homes and leaving thousands of people without power.

"The kids and I got in the closet and prayed," said Jamie Keyes, of Norman, an Oklahoma City suburb that is home to the University of Oklahoma. "I heard a hiss. It was like something was whistling very loud."

Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokesman Jerry Lojka said two people were killed in Oklahoma City and three were killed in Cleveland County, south of the city. Oklahoma City officials said the fatalities there involved a young boy who was hit by debris in his home and a man whose recreational vehicle flipped over on top of him. Details on the Cleveland County deaths weren't immediately available.

Officials reported that at least 58 others were injured — two of them critically — in a tornado outbreak that forecasters had been predicting since last week.

One interesting story - the Vortex 2 research team was in the field yesterday and chased one of the tornadoes that formed right over their headquarters in Norman, OK. The storm caused some damage in Norman and then headed east at more than 50mph.  That tornado did the most damage as it headed east along I-40.

Storm chaser videos are starting to show up. You can watch them here and here.