tornadoes News

Weather Service Confirms Weak Tornado Stuck Western Indiana

The National Weather Service confirmed this week that a tornado touched down briefly in western Indiana on Sunday. The weather service rated the tornado as an EF-0, estimating it had peak winds of 70 mph. The weather service said the …

Weather Emergency Declared in 7 Oklahoma Counties

Gov. Mary Fallin has declared a state of emergency in seven northeastern Oklahoma counties hit by tornadoes, severe storms and straight-line winds. Fallin issued the declaration for Craig, Mayes, Nowata, Osage, Rogers, Tulsa and Washington counties. Severe storms damaged homes …

El Niño Wreaks Havoc in February with Fiji Cyclone, Floods & Drought: Aon Report

The Southern Hemisphere registered its strongest tropical cyclone on record during February with Tropical Cyclone Winston, according to Impact Forecasting, Aon Benfield’s catastrophe model development team. With maximum sustained winds of 295 kph (185 mph), Tropical Cyclone Winston made landfall …

At Least 7 Tornadoes Hit Mississippi as Severe Storms Batter Region

A major storm system hit several Southeast states this week, bringing high winds and tornadoes to multiple regions and killing at least one person in Mississippi. Injuries and damage were also reported in Florida from an apparent tornado. The National …

Disaster Recovery Center Opens in Arkansas County

A joint federal/state disaster recovery center opened in Jefferson County Feb. 20 to help those whose homes or businesses were affected by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding in December and January, Representatives from the Arkansas Department of Emergency …

Construction on Public Safe Rooms Around Joplin Nearly Complete

Thousands of students and residents in the Joplin area will have shelter during the upcoming severe weather season thanks to the construction of safe rooms that began after the deadly May 2011 tornado. The Joplin Globe reported ocal school districts …

Texas Led Nation in Catastrophic Losses in 2015

Tornadoes, hailstorms and fires took their toll on Texas last year with insured losses well over $3 billion, according to an insurer trade group The state had over three times as many claims and almost three times the dollar amount …

Tennessee Records 19 Tornadoes in 2015

Weather officials say 19 tornadoes touched down in Tennessee last year, marking the state’s lowest total since 2007. The National Weather Service said one tornado struck the state in April and two touched down in May of 2015. A record-setting …

‘Couldn’t Stand the Weather’ Sums Up South Central News in 2015

If you scan the song/album list of the late, great Texas blues guitar powerhouse, Stevie Ray Vaughan, you’ll get an inkling of what the major stories from Insurance Journal’s South Central region in 2015 were about: the weather and its …

Buildings Damaged by Storms in Louisiana; No Injuries Reported

A storm system damaged buildings and cut power across Louisiana on Sunday night and Monday morning, but no injuries were reported. Strong winds blew trees onto at least eight mobile homes in Blanchard, northwest of Shreveport. A business and several …