Dramatic moment: Huge tornado EXPLODES power lines in Texas – more tornadoes are forecast

Tornadoes that ripped through Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas on Thursday have left a trail of devastation — and more tornadoes are forecast through Friday.

The devastation is laid bare in dramatic videos showing overturned trucks, fiery explosions and debris strewn across neighborhoods and highways. The extreme weather will continue through Friday — with baseball-sized hail possible in some areas.

A clip filmed in Texas shows power lines bursting into flames just meters from people’s homes as a tornado passed. National Weather Service teams planned to head out Friday to survey areas for likely tornado damage along the storm’s path, which stretched from southeastern Oklahoma into Texas and into neighboring Arkansas and Louisiana.

The region’s terrible weather comes as parts of California were buried under a rare dose of heavy snow this week.

Eight million people in the South are at moderate to severe storm risk as gigantic tornadoes devastate Texas and Louisiana.

A monstrous tornado swept through a residential neighborhood in Northlake (pictured) and Winnsboro, Texas, leaving residents shocked as the large tornado rolled through

Eight million people in the South are at moderate to severe storm risk as gigantic tornadoes devastate Texas and Louisiana

Another tornado was seen in Shreveport, Texas (pictured)

A tree fell in McKinney, Texas after the storm passed

Richardson, a Dallas suburb, urged residents to stop using water after the storm cut power to pumping stations. North of Dallas, winds killed trees, ripped off a grocery store roof and overturned four 18-wheelers on US Highway 75. Only minor injuries were reported, police said.

In Louisiana, a tornado made landfall near Louisiana State University in Shreveport.

More than 310,000 utility customers in Texas were without power as of Thursday night, according to poweroutage.us.

FlightAware.com reported that Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Dallas Love Field had seen more than 400 cancellations to or from the airports combined.

Forecasters said the storm system will continue its march east on Friday, bringing the risk of severe weather to the Ohio and Tennessee River valleys. It was likely to snow later in the day over the eastern Great Lakes and New England.

Meteorologists say the same storm in California and Oregon produced “once in a generation” snow up to 2 meters in places.

However, the snowfall is credited with helping to reduce and in some areas eliminate drought conditions in California.

Many schools in tornado-hit parts of the South are closed Friday due to power outages, debris and damage to school grounds.

Streets in Greenville, Texas were blocked by brick damaged from several brick buildings by the storm.

In Louisiana, a tornado made landfall near Louisiana State University.

The storm is expected to move across the Ohio Valley on Friday and into the northwest into the evening.

Two cars were seen stacked on top of each other in Oklahoma after a tornado passed through

Snow was also spotted in Sherman, Texas as the

Tornado warnings were also issued for the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where travelers were trapped in a storm shelter at Dallas Love Field Airport, including pro tennis player Toby Kodat (pictured) who was returning from a tournament in Waco, Texas

Heavy snow and high winds are expected to sweep across the Southwest states, bringing gusts of 45 miles per hour and up to 20 inches of snow before sweeping north across the Rockies and into the Pacific Northwest and upper Midwest throughout Friday.

They follow historic snowstorms that rocked California this week, bringing up to seven feet of snow and prompting Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency to help with recovery.

And as the west freezes, an unseasonably warm patch of air is expected to settle over the southern plains and move east, bringing with it a series of severe storms that could herald baseball-sized hail and dangerous tornado conditions.

Snow in northeast New York is expected to turn into a freezing wintry mix, and parts of New England could be buried under up to 12 inches of snow.

The Golden State turned white this week after rarely seen snowstorms buried parts of the state under several feet of snow, with flakes falling even over Disneyland and blanketing the hills behind the Hollywood sign.

A radar shows the large storm mass moving across the southern United States

Gov. Newsom deployed the National Guard on Wednesday to help residents, particularly in San Bernardino County, where some have been trapped in their homes for days.

Wind, freezing and winter storm warnings were issued by the National Weather Service across the sunny state through Thursday, as temperatures in certain areas hit freezing lows of as high as 26 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to the governor’s office, the National Guard is working with local law enforcement to open shelters to residents and help deliver food and water to those trapped.

High Texas winds caused a Port-a-Potty to drive down a street

The Southern California mountain ranges were hit by several feet of snow and residents asked the governor for help clearing the roads as food and water supplies ran low.

“Roofs are collapsing everywhere, people need help and rescue. All stores are running low on food and water supplies. Gas stations are low on gas,” Lake Arrowhead resident Miyah Nelson told KTLA.

“We need to clear our streets so people can leave their homes. They’re all trapped.”

Counties named in the emergency statement include Amador, Kern, Los Angeles, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Nevada, San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Sierra, Sonoma and Tulare.

Some areas not included in the statement were not ordered to evacuate, including residents of the Olympic Valley east of Sacramento.

An avalanche hit an area home around 7 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Sierra Sun, and numerous images from across the state showed snowbound people with white walls climbing over doorways and up to second-story windows.

Snow can be seen on the mountains in Southern California (pictured)

The Golden State turned white this week after rarely seen snowstorms buried parts of the state under several feet of snow

Gov. Newsom deployed the National Guard on Wednesday to help residents, particularly in San Bernardino County, where some have been locked in their homes for days

Snow covered a cactus and other greenery in Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday

A child played in the snow in Mount Baldy, California on Wednesday after heavy snowfall hit southern California

The Hollywood sign looked straight out of a movie with the snow capped mountains behind

A man brushes a foot of snow off his car Wednesday morning in Crestline, California

A house on the doorstep of California is covered in snow again

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk