Local emergency personnel reported tornadoes in McCurtain County, beginning with one spotted in Pickens around 9:30 p.m. Another tornado was reported on the ground about 30 minutes later north of Broken Bow, authorities said.
There were no immediate reports of injury or damage with the storms, which touched down near the Kiamichi Mountains and the Ouachita National Forest in far southeastern Oklahoma.
To the west, downed trees blocked roads between Antlers and the Pushmataha-Atoka county line, while at least one house was damaged and a barn swept away near Lane in Atoka County, where a wind gust of 60 mph was reported.
The storms were part of a vigorous upper-level storm system that began moving out of the Rockies late Wednesday. Twisters were most numerous in Kansas and Louisiana and tornado warnings continued to be issued early Thursday as the system spun eastward.
Earlier Thursday, the storm system produced non-thunderstorm wind gusts of up to 45 mph that kicked up dust and lowered visibility to zero along some roads in Alfalfa and Woods counties, authorities said.
Troopers reported several collisions, including crashes on U.S. Highways 64 and 281 in northern Oklahoma.
Trooper Kera Philippi said one motorist suffered minor injuries in one of the crashes.
The National Weather Service issued wind advisories for much of Oklahoma.
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