Violent Tornadoes Barrel Across Western Kansas

Homes were damaged and at least two people were critically injured in Kansas as severe storms swept across the Plains, authorities said Wednesday.

The Kansas Adjutant General's Department said the storms in western and south-central parts of the state downed trees and power lines and damaged rural homes and outbuildings.

Emergency management officials in Ford County reported that two people were critically injured Tuesday night and taken to a hospital in Dodge City, the department said in a statement early Wednesday.

No fatalities were reported.

Tornadoes were reported in several counties, and meteorologist Jesse Lee of the National Weather Service office in Dodge City said crews will survey the damage Wednesday.

Earlier, several structures were damaged when a "probable" tornado touched down in northeast Oklahoma, near Bristow, according to the weather service. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said no one was injured.

Tornado warnings were also issued in parts of eastern Colorado and the Texas Panhandle.

Storms are in the forecast all week in the Great Plains, according to the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.