At least 19 Dead in Central US in New Round of Tornadoes Thunderstorms and tornadoes tore across the nation's heartland Saturday evening, killing at least 19 people, mangling buildings and trapping people in rubble in areas still reeling from other recent bouts with severe weather. A twister killed at least six people in the northeastern Oklahoma town of Picher, then skipped over the Missouri state line to wreak further death and destruction, authorities said.