The Nation : Destructive Storms Hit Texas, Oklahoma

Fierce thunderstorms raked northern Texas and Oklahoma, uprooting trees and knocking down power lines with winds of up to 76 m.p.h. The storms, born in humid and unstable air ahead of a cold front, rumbled toward the lower Mississippi Valley, prompting forecasters to post a tornado watch for much of Arkansas. Early in the day, wind gusts were clocked at 76 m.p.h. at Wichita Falls, Tex., 62 m.p.h. at Tulsa, Okla., and 60 m.p.h. in Oklahoma City, the National Weather Service said. Trees were felled by 60-m.p.h. winds in Rogers County, Okla., and winds tore down power lines at Sentinel, Okla. Hail ranging in size from dimes to half dollars pelted towns in Oklahoma, including Glenpool, Catoosa, Tiawah and Oklahoma City. More than half an inch of rain hit Abilene, Tex., in 90 minutes, officials said.