Damaging winds and tornadoes strike Texas
SPUR, Texas -- Three storm chasers were killed when their vehicles collided at a rural crossroads during severe West Texas storms on Tuesday.
The storms spawned multiple funnel clouds and an occasional tornado in open areas of West Texas on Tuesday afternoon. No damage was reported.
The crash happened at a remote intersection near the town of Spur, about 55 miles southeast of Lubbock. Tornadoes had been reported nearby at the time of the crash and heavy rain had been reported in the area, according to the National Weather Service.
WATCH: Tornado spins through Seymour
The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the three storm chasers killed as Kelley Gene Williamson, 57, and Randall Delane Yarnall, 55, both of Cassville, Missouri, and Corbin Lee Jaeger, 25, of Peoria, Arizona.
DPS Sgt. John Gonzalez said the Chevrolet Suburban driven by Williamson ran a stop sign and slammed into the Jeep driven by Yarnall with Jaeger as passenger. All three were killed instantly.
So far, 14 tornadoes in all were reported, and all of them ripped through communities in west Texas. Fortunately, none of those tornadoes hit populated areas. There has been very little damage reported as a result of these tornadoes.
WATCH: Heavy hail pummels homes and cars in Lubbock
Softball-sized hail was reported in northwestern Texas on Tuesday night near Wichita Falls.
Meantime in Fort Worth, 83 MPH gusts of wind were reported as the severe storms blasted through the DFW area.
More than 130,000 homes are without power between Dallas and Fort Worth, according to officials.
In Oklahoma, video from KOKH-TV showed a semitrailer that overturned on Interstate 40 near El Reno due to high winds.
Officials said 95 MPH winds were recorded just west of Oklahoma City as storms surged east.
This morning, the line of severe storms extends from San Antonio to Wichita, Kansas.
The threat now shifts eastward, and forecasters say about 19 million people in Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana could see stormy weather, including the possibility of strong tornadoes.
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