(Daily Mail) A mother and baby were sucked out of their car by a tornado and killed as multiple storms hit Oklahoma City and its hard-hit suburb Moore yesterday.

They were among five dead as the twisters rolled in from the prairie, destroying cars and tractor-trailers along a major interstate.

A tornado rampaged down Interstate 40 toward Oklahoma City during evening rush hour, tipping over trucks and hurling hay bales, a witness said.

Television images showed downed power lines and tossed cars as the storm systems dumped at least 3 inches of rain, stranding motorists in flood water.

The tornadoes struck 11 days after a twister ranked as EF5, the most powerful ranking possible, tore through Moore and killed 24 people, including ten children.

The National Weather Service said the severe weather threat would shift into neighboring Illinois and Missouri, where Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency on Friday.

Tragic: Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers found the bodies of a woman and an infant near their vehicle. Police believe the woman was driving an SUV near El Reno when the powerful twister flipped the vehicle over

A storm chaser in Cushing stopped to take photos of the dramatic moment two lightning strikes hit the ground

Storm: The tornado that wreaked havoc near Oklahoma City was reported to be a mile wide with winds reaching up to 80mph

Stranded: Vehicles trapped by flash flooding sit underneath on the road in Oklahoma City after severe thunderstorms brought tornadoes, high winds, heavy rain and hail to the area

Waterlogged: Cars driving on the interstate through Oklahoma City wade through dangerous flood waters brought by the thunderstorm. Police warned vehicles to stay off the road

Violent thunderstorms produced tornadoes in central Oklahoma yesterday, with this cloud-to-ground lightning seen in Cushing

The mother and baby were killed while traveling on the Interstate near El Reno when their vehicle was picked up by the storm, said Betsy Randolph, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

The interstate was shut down due to the storm, with multiple crashes and injuries.

Two other victims were found in a car in Union City.

One victim was also found on a road in El Reno, KWTV reported.

In addition to the death toll about 50 people were hurt in the storm, five critically, hospital officials said.

Among the injured was a meteorologist from The Weather Channel.

Meteorologist Mike Bette is nursing minor injuries after his ‘tornado hunt’ car was thrown some 200 yards by the storm.

The network said though Betts was hurt, he and the car’s two other occupants were wearing safety belts and were able to walk away from the banged-up vehicle.

‘For reasons that are not clear to me, more people took to the roads, more than we expected.

‘Everyone acted differently in this storm, and as a result, it created an extremely dangerous situation,’ said Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett.

‘I think we are still a little shaken by what happened in Moore. We are still burying children and victims, so our emotions are still strong,’ he added.

Brandi Vanalphen, 30, was among the hundreds of drivers trapped on traffic-snarled roads as she attempted to flee the tornado system menacing the suburb of Norman.

‘What got me scared was being stuck in traffic with sirens going off,’ she said.

‘I started seeing power flashes to the north, and I said “screw this.” I started driving on the shoulder. People started driving over the grass.’

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin told CNN that motorists faced great danger when stuck on any freeway in the path of a twister.

Injuries: A meteorologist from The Weather Channel was injured after his car (seen here) was thrown 200 yards by the storm

At least 86,000 people were left without power following the storms

Three major thunderstorms with the potential to produce tornadoes tore through the center of the state, said the National Weather Service

Danger: Forecasters warned of a ‘particularly dangerous situation,’ with ominous language about strong tornadoes and hail the size of grapefruits 4 inches in diameter. Photographed with a wide angle lens, the mile-wide tornado, is seen near El Reno

Salvaging: Residents retrieve belongings from a home destroyed by the tornados that tore through central Oklahoma

Damage: An Oklahoma home destroyed, its roof partially torn off after the tornado rips through

‘What we saw from the tornadoes that came through Moore and the other ones last week was that people who were in cars on the Interstate were killed,’ Fallin told CNN.

Large, long-lasting thunderstorms known as supercells are responsible for producing the strongest tornadoes, along with large hail and other dangerous winds.

Though the tornado alert expired, the powerful rain continued to hit the area and floodwaters were collecting in the streets.

Flood waters up to 4ft deep hampered rescue attempts and frequent lightning roiled the skies well after the main threat had passed to the east.

Emergency officials reported numerous injuries in the area along I-40, and Randolph said there were toppled and wrecked cars littering the area.

Troopers requested a number of ambulances at I-40 near Yukon, west of Oklahoma City.

Hail and heavy rain pelted the metro area to the point that emergency workers had trouble responding to ‘widespread’ reports of injuries.

‘We’re scrambling around,’ said Lara O’Leary, a spokeswoman for the local ambulance agency.

‘There is very low visibility with the heavy rain … so we’re having trouble getting around.

‘The damage is very, very widespread.’

Standing water was several feet deep, and downtown Oklahoma City looked more like a hurricane had gone through than a tornado.

Tornado warnings were also posted Friday night near Tulsa and near St. Louis.

At least six semis on their side at a weight station on I-40 near Oklahoma City, photographer Jim Beckel reported.

Numerous vehicles were damaged in the storm and that many motorists were left stranded.

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Categories: extreme weather

Tags: OKC, St. Louis, tornadoes