A destructive tornado ripped through Mineral Wells, Texas, on Tuesday (April 29), causing significant damage and injuring several people, marking the sixth straight day of a severe storm outbreak that has battered the Midwest and South.

The tornado struck the small North Texas city, located about 80 miles west of Dallas, around 5 p.m. local time. The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning at 5:11 p.m. CDT after a confirmed tornado was detected along Highway 180, just west of Cool, Texas, moving toward Mineral Wells at 25 mph.

Mineral Wells Fire Chief Ryan Dunn told local media that two people were taken to the hospital, while several others were treated for minor injuries at the scene. No deaths have been reported, and there are no active missing persons cases.

The tornado destroyed buildings and scattered debris across roads and parking lots throughout the city's northeast section. City officials say some structures are a "complete loss." Multiple homes and a wide swath of the industrial area sustained damage, with a full assessment expected to be completed Wednesday morning.

Overnight, officials declared a local state of disaster. Mineral Wells Police Chief Tim Denison announced a 10 p.m. curfew Tuesday night for the hardest-hit areas, followed by a nightly 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew until further notice. The city urged residents to stay home and avoid the northeast area of Mineral Wells, specifically between Country Club Estates and Lake Mineral Wells State Park along Highway 180.

The local high school opened as a reunification center, with the American Red Cross on-site providing services. "There is a lot of hope out there, and we've had an outpouring of support from not only the first responding agencies but the community," Denison said.

Tuesday's severe weather wasn't limited to Mineral Wells. Massive hail, some stones as large as a grapefruit, fell near Godley, Texas, while baseball- and tennis ball-sized hail pummeled Springfield, Missouri, damaging vehicles and knocking out power poles. An emu at Springfield's Dickerson Park Zoo was killed during the storm and a rhea, a large flightless bird, was injured, the zoo posted on social media. The zoo announced it would remain closed Wednesday.

This marks the sixth consecutive day that NOAA's Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has issued at least a Level 3 out of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms for the Central U.S. and the South. The outbreak began last Thursday (April 24), when an EF-4 tornado tore through Enid, Oklahoma, with winds estimated between 170 and 175 mph, the strongest tornado in the U.S. since June 2025. At least 10 people were injured in Enid, though no deaths were reported.

The outbreak's deadliest blow came Saturday (April 26), when tornadoes struck North Texas near Runaway Bay, about 80 miles northwest of Dallas, killing at least two people and damaging dozens of homes.

Earlier this week, storms caused significant property damage in Clinton County, Illinois, and Stone County, Arkansas, though no injuries or deaths were reported in those areas. More than 300,000 customers lost power across the Midwest and South at one point, with Michigan and Illinois among the hardest-hit states.

Looking ahead, the SPC's Level 3 risk of severe thunderstorms remained in effect through early Wednesday (April 30) for parts of Arkansas, southern Missouri, northeast Texas, northern Louisiana, and central and northern Mississippi. A tornado watch covered parts of northern Mississippi, southeastern Arkansas, and extreme northern Louisiana overnight.

The cold front responsible for the week's severe weather is expected to push toward the East Coast on Wednesday, ushering in a cooler and calmer weather pattern for much of the country. The National Weather Service will survey the Mineral Wells area to assess the tornado's official strength rating.

Chris Davis