At least 11 dead after tornados hit north Texas

At least 11 people, including an infant, were killed by tornados that ripped across north Texas on Saturday night.

The tornado that devastated the Dallas suburb of Garland was rated EF-4—the second-highest in intensity on the Enhanced Fujita scale. With winds up to 200 MPH, the storm turned heavy objects into deadly missiles and flung passengers from their vehicles. 

Garland/Rowlett Tornado Damage

A second tornado in nearby Rowlett was classified as EF-3, with winds up to 165 MPH, according to the National Weather Service.

Photo shows path of the #tornado as it worked its way through #Garland. Sobering stuff. #txwx #dfwwx pic.twitter.com/LtccgerjBr

— G.J. McCarthy (@gjmccarthy) December 27, 2015

The #tornado damage in #Rowlett is really pretty awful. More photos on the way to @dallasnews. #txwx #dfwwx pic.twitter.com/G8a4HCUISm

— G.J. McCarthy (@gjmccarthy) December 27, 2015

Meteorologist were still working on Sunday to confirm the number of tornados that touched down in north Texas, according to the Dallas Morning News; as many as 11 were reported as far south as Hillsboro.

The Dallas Police Department tied eight fatalities to traffic accidents caused by the tornado that tore across roughly two square miles of southeast Garland, ripping holes in buildings and pushing cars into houses.

As many as 50,000 power outages were reported during the night, but that number fell to 8,000 by Sunday morning. Some 600 buildings were damaged, many of them beyond repair. In Dallas and Collin County, work crews continued to sift through the rubble Sunday afternoon, ensuring no one buried was overlooked.

Severe weather continued Sunday, with with an ice storm warning in north Texas, a blizzard warning in the panhandle, and a winter storm warning to the west. 

Photo via Matt Seymour/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)