Tornadoes Touch Down In Parts Of Texas, Oklahoma

Several tornadoes touched down in northwest Texas and western Oklahoma Saturday evening, part of a night of severe weather predicted for a swath of the U.S. ranging from Oklahoma to Nebraska, the National Weather Service said.

The twisters that swept down to the ground in the Texas panhandle and in Oklahoma in the early part of the evening landed in areas that were not highly populated, said Keli Pirtle, a spokeswoman for the Storm Prediction Center of the National Weather Service.

Throughout the central and southern Great Plains of the U.S. forecasters predicted thunderstorms, high winds, hail and more tornadoes for Saturday night.

A tornado that hit the city of Van, Texas, southeast of Dallas, May 10 killed two people and caused $40 million in damage, authorities said.

About 90 houses were destroyed in the town, which has a population of 2,500.