Hail-Packing Storm Causes Injuries, Damage In OKC Metro

A tornado warning has been issued for parts of Oklahoma Tuesday night.

Tuesday, May 29th 2012, 9:40 pm

By: News 9


A hail-packing storm system has caused three injuries and severe damage in the Oklahoma City metro area Tuesday night.

According to EMSA, two people suffered injuries when they were hit by large hail. Another person was hit by a sign. They were transported to local hospitals in non-emergency conditions.

Firefighters extinguished a house fire at 3913 N.W. 16th Street in Oklahoma City. Crews also put out a small fire at Remington Park Casino that was sparked by lightning. 

According to officials, just before 10 p.m. Tuesday, lightning struck an air handler on the roof of Remington Park and employees in the casino noticed smoke near the main bank/cash cage. As a precautionary measure, the casino was evacuated immediately. Two hundred patrons and 100 employees were inside at the time of the incident.

Firefighters responded and after giving an all-clear, patrons were allowed to cash out and the casino was closed for the evening around 10:40 p.m.

The casino will reopen at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

A tank battery near Verden, Oklahoma, was also struck by lightning and caught on fire.

5/29/2012 Related Story: Lightning Sparks Fire At Tank Battery Near Verden

OG&E reports at least 85,000 customers in the metro area are without power as of 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. Officials say if you do not have power Tuesday night, most likely it won't be restored until Wednesday morning.

And 2120 customers in Edmond do not have power as of 10:45 p.m. Tuesday. Crews are working to assess the situation and restore power.

For up-to-date outage information in Edmond.

Crews report about 5,500 customers in Norman are without power as well.

Major flight delays have been reported at Will Rogers Airport.

Several car dealerships on Broadway Extension in Edmond suffered severe hail damage. About 450 cars at Bob Howard Dealership in Edmond are damaged.

Some windows are blown out at Marriott Hotel in northwest Oklahoma City, which is located near Integris Hospital on N.W. Expressway. A roof at the hotel was also blown off and it fell on some cars.

A power pole fell on top of a Walmart Neighborhood gas station, located near N.W. 164th and Western in Oklahoma City.

According to The Village Police, lots of transformers are down across The Village area. Several power lines are also reportedly down near 8400 N. Council Road. 

Severe storm damage was reported all across northwest Oklahoma City and Edmond. News 9's Michael Konopasek reports that power is out near Memorial Road and Western. Traffic lights are out near Memorial Road and Pennsylvania Avenue.

Drivers are encouraged to avoid the northwest Oklahoma City area as it can be very dangerous.

A tornado warning was issued for Canadian County and Oklahoma County Tuesday evening. It remained in effect until 9 p.m. Tuesday. A viewer reported seeing a tornado near N.W. 150th Street and Richland in Oklahoma City. But it is not confirmed yet.

A funnel was spotted just southwest of Piedmont, according to News 9 storm chaser Val Castor. It is unclear at this point if it has caused any damage.

The severe thunderstorm has produced large hail along its path.

Several Oklahoma counties are also under severe thunderstorm warnings.

Stay updated with severe weather warning, watches.

Stay with News 9 and News9.com for the latest updates.

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