Tornadoes Hit 2 States as 'Long Day of Severe Weather' Begins

Several tornadoes have already touched down in Texas and Oklahoma as two days of severe weather began Tuesday morning.

Warnings of the severe weather began to circulate last week as AccuWeather advised of a "monstrous storm" that would likely impact many states at once. Tornadoes pose a threat to Southern states like Texas and Louisiana.

On Tuesday morning, a tornado touched down in Wayne, Oklahoma, cutting the town's power and damaging multiple homes, according to The Weather Channel. A tornado also touched down in Decatur, Texas, and sent debris "falling from the sky."

Dozens of other areas, many in Texas, are under a tornado warning or a tornado watch. The severe storms impacted flights, as the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport activated a "shelter in place" order because of a tornado warning.

Storms are expected to continue into Wednesday, with the most severe threats in eastern Texas, all of Louisiana, western Mississippi, southern Oklahoma and southern Arkansas. It is the second time in less than a month that the area has been hit with severe weather and tornadoes.

"We have a long day of severe weather ahead of us! Multiple tornadoes have already been confirmed in Texas this morning," The Weather Channel tweeted Tuesday morning.

Texas is no stranger to tornadoes, with The Weather Channel reporting that it has the most annual tornadoes of any state. Tornado season peaks in May and June, and the storms are uncommon in the winter in many areas of the country. However, in Southern states like Texas and Louisiana, the warm air interacts with cold air coming into the region. Along with the proximity of the Gulf of Mexico, the atmosphere creates the volatile environment that tornadoes need to form.

The Weather Channel meteorologist Kelly Cass tweeted that the storms were expected to continue overnight. Under the shroud of darkness, tornadoes can be even deadlier.

The dark doesn't impact a meteorologist's equipment's ability to detect a tornado, but it could hide the storm from view. People might be sleeping when the risk is highest and could have limited or no time to shelter if the storm becomes threatening.

Texas experienced a wide array of storm conditions Tuesday accompanying the tornadoes, including "hail the size of quarters" in Brazos Valley, according to local news station KBTX.

According to a tweet from the National Weather Service, the storm covers almost all the Central and Southern U.S., equipped with a host of various severe weather conditions. North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Nebraska will be subject to freezing rain and heavy snow.

Rain and thunderstorms are expected in the Midwest. Southern states and states in the Mississippi Valley will receive the worst of the storm and could experience everything from severe thunderstorms and flash floods to damaging wind gusts reaching 70 mph and tornadoes.

Nearly a week in advance of the storm, meteorologists warned of its breadth, forecasting that there could be "significant threat to lives and property."