At least three tornadoes had been reported in Kansas and Oklahoma as part of a powerful storm that packed severe gusts as it moved northeast from the Texas panhandle on Sunday evening, forecasters from the National Weather Service said.
Tornado watches and warnings remained in effect in Oklahoma.
One of the tornadoes downed trees and power lines and damaged a home in Liberal, Kan., according to Marc Chenard, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service. Forecasters said two other tornadoes had been reported in Oklahoma, one near the city of Norman and another in the west-central part of the state.
Wind gusts of 114 miles per hour were recorded in Hall County, Texas, Mr. Chenard said. The Weather Service also reported widespread gusts ranging from 70 to 90 miles per hour in southwest Oklahoma.
The fast-moving weather system was expected to ease by about 2 a.m. Eastern, forecasters said. But as of late Sunday evening, several tornado watches and warnings remained in effect for towns in Oklahoma. The Weather Service warned that blowing dust could reduce visibility to two miles in the Oklahoma City metro area.
In McLean, a town 75 miles east of Amarillo, Texas, people were warned by the National Weather Service on Sunday evening to take cover from a possible tornado.
The storm system had been expected to develop into a derecho, a wind storm extending more than 240 miles with a line of fast-moving thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla.
“As we go through the evening hours, this risk is going to move eastward,” Mr. Chenard said, adding that the threat of severe weather was greater for Oklahoma residents.
The Weather Service had described the storm, which was anticipated to affect a large area of western, northern and northeastern Oklahoma, as posing a “moderate” risk, the second-highest ranking.
Multiple advisories, watches and warnings for severe weather were issued across the state.
Residents were advised by meteorologists in affected areas to secure loose objects and drive cautiously, as well as to prepare for damaging winds and to heed emergency warnings and anticipate potential power failures.
Tornadoes could potentially reach the F3 rating, a classification of strong, damaging tornadoes with potential wind speeds greater than 200 m.p.h., according to the Weather Service, which added that “scattered damaging winds” could linger through Monday morning.