TEXOMA ( KFDX/KJTL ) — The National Weather Service issued its first tornado watch for portions of Texoma at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, April 27.

As enormous storm clouds rolled over the area, more tornado watches and warnings, flood advisories and severe thunderstorm warnings would follow.

The storms began southwest of Texoma, developing near Haskell. They gained windspeed and power as they headed toward Knox, Baylor and Throckmorton Counties.

The first tornado reports were confirmed near Knox City at around 3:10 p.m. The storm traveled northeast between Highways 82 and 222, and another Tornado was spotted near Rhineland, moving at 25 miles per hour.

At the same time, another tornado, moving at 25 miles per hour, was spotted near Grayback. The National Weather Service issued two tornado warnings for Wichita, Wilbarger, Baylor and Knox Counties.

Approximately an hour later, at 4:20 p.m., the National Weather Service issued another tornado warning for northern Baylor County and southeastern Wilbarger County.

As the storm moved northeast, the weather service issued tornado warnings for Baylor, Wichita, and Wilbarger Counties. At this point, the storm’s tornadic threat was radar-indicated, but meteorologists advised residents to take shelter since the same storm had previously produced tornadoes.

They were also warned of large, damaging hail, up to baseball-sized.

The storm continued northeast, passing over Electra, Iowa Park, and Burkburnett, dumping rain and hail over residents. Chief Meteorologist Michael Bohling reported several instances of rotation within the storm as it passed over Wichita and Wilbarger Counties, but there were no reported tornadoes.

By 7 p.m., a portion of the storm had crossed the Red River and entered Oklahoma. A potentially large tornado was spotted near Devol and moving toward Cookietown.

As the next hour passed, the storm continued moving northeast into Oklahoma, occasionally gaining speed until it finally slowed down outside Geronimo shortly before 8 p.m.

As the storms moved out of Texoma, rain and thunder continued pelting the region, but the chance for severe storms and tornadoes diminished.

After the storms had passed, the National Weather Service issued flood warnings and advisories for much of the area, and first responders began assisting residents and stranded motorists with water rescues.

The KFDX Weather Team reported damage to some property in Devol, Oklahoma on Sunday, April 28.

The residents who reported the damage said they were in their cellar when the tornado occurred. They said it sounded like a train and reported damage to two of the barns on their property.

The National Weather Service is still surveying the areas impacted by these storms , but so far it’s reported at least 17 tornadoes, four to eight inches of rain in some parts, and wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour.

People reported about 30 injuries and four fatalities, including a child, across the area. Communities are still assessing the storm’s damage.

This is a developing story. Stick with Texoma’s Homepage for updates as more information becomes available.

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