Tornado slams Dallas; tree falls on home killing 1 in Arkansas

DALLAS -- A tornado tore homes and businesses apart in a densely populated area of Dallas, where only minor injuries were reported, but a person was killed by a falling tree in northwest Arkansas as a late-night series of storms caused chaos in several states.

Radar confirmed the tornado struck near Dallas Love Field Airport around 9 p.m. Sunday, National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Godwin said. There were no reports of fatalities or serious injuries in Texas on Monday, but Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans said three people were hospitalized for evaluation of injuries not life-threatening. Tens of thousands of people were without electricity. Dallas Love Field spokesman Chris Perry said the airport was not damaged in the storm.

Tornado warnings were in effect Monday morning in far eastern Arkansas near the Mississippi River as the storm system moved to the east.

Dallas-based radio station KNON-FM went off the air when the studio suffered major damage from the tornado. Lew Morris, one of the hosts of "Reckless Rock Radio," told The Associated Press the power went out first, followed by the "distinctive whistle" of a tornado within 3 minutes.

He and another radio show host sheltered in the bathroom.

"We then heard the building shaking and could hear the glass windows shattering everywhere along with debris banging around. We waited until all the noise died down," Morris said. "We walked out to see the studio he was just broadcasting from destroyed."

In northwest Arkansas, one person died when a tree fell on a home in Rogers, about 150 miles northwest of Little Rock, according to the Benton County Department of Public Safety. Power was out at the nearby Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in Highfill.

Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said "significant storm damage" occurred in that part of the state.

Damage was also reported in the northeast corner of Arkansas in the town of Tyronza, where five people were reported injured, Jonesboro TV station KAIT reported.

The weather system also knocked down trees and power lines and broke windows and caused other minor damage at Memphis International Airport in Tennessee. No injuries were reported but some flights have been delayed. A few businesses in east Memphis suffered minor damage.

About 55,000 electric customers are without power in Dallas and another 40,000 in the surrounding area, according to Connie Piloto, a spokeswoman for utility Oncor.

Equipment including utility poles, transformers and powerlines need to be restored and reconstruction could take days, Piloto said.

The city opened a shelter late Sunday and about two dozen people stayed overnight, emergency management director Rocky Vaz said.

North of Dallas, the city of Richardson said that many roads "used by thousands of morning commuters" would be closed while workers clear debris and repair downed traffic lights.

The city of Sachse, a northeast suburb of Dallas, said six houses were damaged from the storms, but no injuries were reported.

Citing extensive damage to campuses, the Dallas Independent School District canceled Monday classes at several schools.

In parts of southern Missouri, the severe weather toppled trees and power lines, damaging some homes and outbuildings. The weather service said crews were headed out Monday morning to determine whether straight line winds or small tornadoes caused the damage.