Severe storms pummel parts of US, raise tornado threat

Severe Storms Pummel Parts of U.S., Raise Tornado Threat

Storms that swept across the southern United States on Monday dumped heavy rains and destroyed at least one mobile home in Texas.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a tornado emergency for parts of Houston, Texas after a storm cell was spotted moving through the area. The NWS warned that conditions were favorable for a tornado to form.

Severe weather hit other parts of Texas earlier on Monday. One person died when their mobile home was destroyed by high winds in the town of Aransas Pass, according to the local sheriff's office. First responders found one body at the scene and searched the surrounding area but did not find anyone else.

The storms have been moving northward into Oklahoma and Missouri as well. The NWS warned that a few tornadoes are possible with the storms, which were also expected to bring heavy rains. Flash flood watches covered portions of those states and Illinois.

Severe weather is common in the area during springtime, when warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico collides with cold air from Canada. The collisions cause instability that leads to powerful thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes.

In April 2013, a massive storm system hit parts of Oklahoma City directly and killed more than 20 people, many of them children. Some were inside their homes when they died in the EF5 tornado that tore through the area, leaving a trail of destruction behind it.

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