BREAKING: Large Tornado Causes Big Damage, Injuries In Dallas Suburb

Flashes from snapping power lines light up
a large tornado east of Dallas this evening. 

Numerous live feeds and media reports are showing a large tornado in the eastern suburbs of Dallas, Texas this evening.

Major damage has been reported in the community of Rowlett near Garland, Texas. Video images showed the tornado causing numerous power flashes as it tore through electrical lines.

The Rowlett damage is just one of several reports of destruction from twisters near and east of Dallas today.

Preliminary reports suggest a supercell thunderstorm dropped a large tornado near Ovilla, south of Dallas, causing major damage, then another even bigger tornado near Rowlett.

The tornadoes in Texas  were ongoing as of 8:30 p.m. EST. Several tornado warnings were in effect.

Reports from local media say several homes have been destroyed, with personal belongings from the homes blown out onto roads and highways.

It was unclear as of 8:30 p.m. whether there were any deaths, or how many injuries occured. An NBC affiliate in Dallas was reporting four deaths in Garland, a report everybody is hoping isn't true.

Fox 4 News images showed widespread debris and a large fire, apparently related to the tornado, burning in Garland.

Fox 4 News showing tornado debris and a large
fire burning in Garland, Texas after a big
Saturday evening tornado. 

On Twitter, @28storms quoted Dallas-Fort Worth police and emergency scanner traffic with reports of dozens of injuries and dozens of buildings destroyed in Rowlett, Sunnyvale and Garland, Texas.

Texas is a study in extreme, dangerous weather contrasts this evening, with the tornadoes, a blizzard warning in the northwest, winter storm watches and warnings central and flood watches and warnings in eastern Texas.

Conditions ranged from snow, temperatures in the 20s and winds gusting over 60 mph over the Texas panhandle to oppressive summerlike humidity near the Gulf Coast.

The destructive Texas twisters are part of an intense storm system that's bringing a blizzard to New Mexico and northwestern Texas, and flooding rains in a large are in the center of the country from Texas to Ohio.

Flash flood warnings covered a stripe from central Oklahoma to southwestern Illinois Saturday evening. Up to a foot of rain was forecast.

A broad area of the Plains from Texas to Minnesota were under winter storm watches, warnings or blizzard warnings Saturday. Parts of northern New England were in for snow, sleet and freezing rain Sunday as well.