UPDATE: Weather Service Meteorologist Mark Burchfield in Springfield, Missouri, said Thursday that two of the tornadoes Wednesday night were EF3 tornadoes with winds of 140 mph.
One outside Golden City, Missouri, northeast of Joplin, killed three people and seriously injured a fourth. Burchfield said it was on the ground for 12 miles.
Another EF3 tornado struck Carl Junction and was on the ground for 9 miles.
The tornadoes started Wednesday night with an EF0 tornado outside of the Kansas ghost town of Treece that was on the ground for 3 miles.
An EF0 tornado also touched down near Oronogo, Missouri, and was on the ground for 8 miles.
The National Weather Service says it's possible that a tornado that left three people dead and one injured in southwest Missouri had a 50-mile path.
Weather Service Meteorologist Cory Rothstein in Springfield, Missouri, said a tornado touched down Wednesday night near Treece, a southeast Kansas ghost town on the Oklahoma border, and then moved northeast.
Officials said a tornado damaged homes in Carl Junction, Missouri, near Joplin and moved through Oronogo and Golden City. Authorities said three people were found dead and one injured outside Golden City.
Rothstein said a single tornado could have been on the ground for 80 minutes.
But he said the Weather Service won't know for sure whether there was one or multiple tornadoes until two teams finish surveying the storm's path Thursday.
Our hearts go out to the people of Missouri as they woke up to assess the damage from storms. You are strong and resilient, and we are here to assist. https://t.co/paeOVcUQWn
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 23, 2019
Meanwhile, flood warnings remain in effect for much of Oklahoma, though forecasters said many rivers have crested and water levels were beginning to drop.
More than 9 inches (23 centimeters) of rain has fallen since Sunday in parts of Oklahoma after an already rainy spring.
Near Crescent, about 34 miles (55 kilometers) north of Oklahoma City, erosion left several homes hanging over the swollen Cimarron River. One unoccupied home rolled into the river, and authorities said others could collapse.
In Arkansas, forecasters issued flood warnings along the Arkansas River because of the expected rush of water coming from Oklahoma.
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