Seven Adults, Two Children Die As Tornadoes Strike Oklahoma Again

How devastating. Only 11 days after a massive tornado killed 24 people in Oklahoma, another swarm of five tornadoes ripped through the Oklahoma City area on May 31, killing a mother and her child and at least seven other people. Tornado season has possibly never been crueler than this one. On May 31, Oklahoma City residents were in panic yet again as five tornadoes -- one a half-mile wide -- swept into the area, killing nine people and leaving behind a storm-battered "war zone."

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June 1, 2013 9:40AM EDT

Oklahoma City Tornado — Image Credit: Courtesy of CNN

Five Dead After Tornadoes Hit Oklahoma City

“It was not a good night to be in the Oklahoma City area,” Mark Wiley, meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s southern region headquarters, said. Mark reported that five tornadoes struck the area, which also experienced wind gusts of up to 90 mph and baseball-sized hail.

The scene along Interstate 40 in Oklahoma City “was a war zone,” eyewitness Marcus Jolly told NewOK.com. “There were semis turned over and skeletons of buildings remaining.”

It was on the road where most of the people who died were found in their vehicles — a mother and her child and three other people. It’s suspected they may have been trying to flee the deadly weather. Additionally, one other child and three other adults have been reported dead.

Besides the five reported deaths, hospitals in Oklahoma City reported 104 casualties, five of whom are in critical condition.

Tornadoes Rip Through Mid-America

May 31 was a day of near-apocalyptic weather in the middle of the United States. Besides the five violent tornadoes in Oklahoma City, there was also one reported in Tulsa, and a total of 12 hit Missouri and Illinois near St. Louis. Additionally, two twisters touched down in North Dakota but did not do any damage.

It has been a vicious season for Oklahomans, who just 11 days ago experienced a devastatingly huge twister on May 20 that destroyed neighborhoods and killed 24 people.

In the wake of these last tornadoes, the concern now is flash flooding, says Mark. He says about six to eight inches of rain has fallen in the area between 7 PM and 7 AM.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Oklahoma City, and all those areas affected, as they try to stay safe and pick up the pieces in the wake of these natural disasters.

WATCH: Multiple Tornadoes Hit Oklahoma City Area

NBC News

— Andrew Gruttadaro

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