Damage reported throughout Oklahoma County

Storms rushing through the Oklahoma City area this evening have caused widespread damage and reports, but no confirmation, of tornadoes, authorities said.

"According to reports we've received it was more than likely just wind damage in the west central, northwest, north central and a little bit on the east side," said David Barnes, emergency management director for Oklahoma County.

Barnes said there was no confirmed tornado damage, but there is obviously widespread wind damage.

"It sounds like we were limited to tree damage and light roof damage," Barnes said.

Barnes said it was fortunate the storm didn't materialize to a greater magnitude.

"The potential was there," he said.

Tornadoes reported, not confirmed

A storm chaser reported a tornado near State Highway 66 east of Yukon, but not damage was found, authorities said.

Tornadoes also were reported near NW 150 and Pennsylvania Avenue, near NW 63 and Meridian Avenue, and near County Line Road and Wilshire Avenue. None were confirmed.

An observer at Wiley Post Airport reported a tornado three miles east of the airport about 5 p.m. Damage was reported in the area of NW 63 Street and Meridian Avenue, according to the National Weather Service.

In Bethany,�witnesses said they saw a tornado touch down about 5 p.m. in the 4000 block of Shannon Avenue near NW 39 Expressway and Council Road, Police Chief Phil Cole said. Trees were toppled and several landed on cars on the Southern Nazarene University campus,�Cole�said.

Damage

A falling tree tore off part of a roof at the Willow Cliff apartment complex at NW 50 and Ann Arbor. Several residents rode out the storm out in closets and bathrooms.

"You could feel the house shaking. Pictures were falling off the wall. I was shaking," said Shaydestiny Johnson, 16.

Johnson says went into a bathroom with her grandmother after she saw the balcony patio fall.

Strong winds near NW 40 and Council brought down several trees in the area, one of which hit a gas meter and caused a leak at the Stonebridge�Apartments, 4102 N Council Road. Residents were evacuated for about 30 minutes while the leak was repaired, said Cole, the Bethany police chief.

Cole said power lines were down and some power�outages have been reported.�

"It just came on really fast. It came out of nowhere," Cole said. "We weren't even under a watch."�

He said he had no confirmed injuries.�

Tree limbs were down in the southeast areas of Edmond, but no significant damage was reported. Edmond emergency management officials sounded the sirens six times during the storm. Anyone in Edmond with storm damage was asked to call the city's hot line, 359-4370.

The storm struck the Southern Nazarene University softball and baseball complex near NW 39 and Council Road, said school spokeswoman Carol Wight. The softball field dugout's roof was torn off and the visitors bleachers were blown onto their side, she said. She didn't know of any damage on the school's main campus at 6729 NW 39 Expressway.

At NW 50 and MacArthur Boulevard, a steel-beam commercial structure that was under construction was damaged. Steel supports were twisted and torn from the concrete foundation.

Injuries

The only injury reported was in Bethany. A woman in the 7100 block of 61st Terrace was running to a storm shelter and broke her leg, said Warr Acres Fire Chief Rob Carter. Carter said Warr Acres crews responded because of a mutual aid agreement between the two cities and all firefighters were responding to emergencies at the time. He said the woman went to a hospital.

Power outages

At 9 p.m., Oklahoma Gas and Electric was reporting about 5,300 customers without power, including a little more than 1,000 outages in north Oklahoma City, west Oklahoma City and Ardmore.

The company reported 11,000 outages at 5 p.m. and 14,000 at 7 p.m.

According to Edmond police spokeswoman Glynda Chu, spotty power outages were also reported in Edmond.

Winds

A National Weather Service employee reported a straight-line wind estimated at 70 to 75 mph at Noble in Cleveland County.

The highest wind gust reported by Mesonet sites in the Oklahoma City area was 59 mph near Wilshire Boulevard and Broadway Extension.

Storms continue east

A meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tulsa said tornado warnings were issued for several counties in northeast Oklahoma, but at 8:30 p.m., reports of damage were relatively light and there had been no reports of any tornadoes touching down.

“We’ve got a few power poles that were broken near Broken Arrow,” meteorologist Pete Snyder said. “There’s also some sporadic tree damage reported with estimated 60-mph winds.”

Snyder said it will most likely be sometime Thursday before a tornado can definitively be confirmed or denied.

Snyder said the Wednesday’s squal line produced wind gusts from 60 to 65 mph, but he said later analysis may show that the winds were much higher in some areas.

Road Closings

The Oklahoma County sheriff's department is reporting the following road closings in the Deer Creek area.

Road closings:

• County-line Road from NW 192 to NW 206

• NW 178 from Highway 74 (Portland) to MacArthur Blvd.

• NW 220 from Highway 74 (Portland) to May.

• Rockwell from NW 178 to NW 192.

• Meridian from NW 178 to NW 192.

The Oklahoma Highway patrol reported the following highway closing

• U.S. 75, 1.5 miles north of Beggs in Okmulgee County.