Editor's note: Officials have updated media on the number of people killed in last night's tornadoes in East Texas. According to the Dallas Morning News, four people died.
Four people are dead and nearly 50 injured after tornadoes whipped through Van Zandt, Henderson and Rains counties, and authorities said they were braced for the toll to rise.
The Canton Fire Department confirmed the deaths, including one in a vehicle tossed by the tornado along Highway 64 near the town in Van Zandt County, KXAS-TV (NBC 5) reported.
Although some reports indicated that as many as five tornadoes passed through the area, the National Weather Service confirmed only three -- in Canton, Eustace and Caney City. Surveys Sunday will determine whether more hit.
The tornado that struck Canton was up to a half-mile wide as it ripped a 40-mile path along the ground, also striking Fruitvale and Emory, KXAS said.
Nearly 50 patients had been taken to area hospitals operated by East Texas Medical Center Regional Healthcare Systems, including one in critical condition, The Associated Press said. A healthcare system spokeswoman said that she expected more people to arrive but that none of their injuries were believed to be life-threatening.
The American Red Cross of North Texas had set up two shelters for victims displaced by the storms -- one at Canton's First Methodist Church Life Center, the other at the Emory City Center in Emory.
Bobby Holleman of Canton said he heard a loud, rumbling noise and trees snapping before the tornado went through a pasture behind his house toward neighbors who live in a shack and two travel trailers. He said his home was unharmed but theirs were gone when he checked on them.
Holleman said police had told him a man died in his truck while he was checking on his cows north of FM 253.
Late Saturday, he was busy sharpening his chainsaw to clear downed trees.
"Tomorrow is going to be a busy day," he said.
Canton, about 60 miles east of Dallas, is the site of the long-running First Monday Trade Days, a monthly collectibles fair that was scheduled this weekend. Earlier Saturday, a post on the event's Facebook page had offered a weather outlook and encouraged shoppers to attend:
"Looks like we got some good news on the weather folks! Doesn't look like storms until late this afternoon. How about a great, full day of shopping at First Monday Trade Days?! Come on out!"
An eerie silence followed the storm -- occasionally broken by firefighters and other first responders surveying the damage by flashlight.
On Twitter, people posted photos of a Dodge dealership in Canton that had been destroyed and overturned vehicles on Interstate 20.
The storm temporarily closed the interstate near Terrell, and drivers reported all power was out along the highway from Terrell to Canton.
The outbreak of severe weather was the result of a cold front pushing through North Texas, though the Dallas-Fort Worth area missed the brunt of the storms.
KXAS meteorologist David Finfrock said a triage center was set up at Canton High, even as the county remained under a tornado warning.
Rowlett posted a Facebook photo of the tornado that hit Canton, and rescue teams from the city, along with others from Dallas Fire-Rescue and Rockwall and Kaufman counties rushed to help with medical care.
Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted Saturday evening that he was sending search-and-rescue crews to help as well.
Dallas-Fort Worth, where forecasters had expected rain between 2 and 5 p.m., escaped most of the bad weather with a "cap" on the cold front remaining strong as it passed through. National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Dunn described the cap as a lid on the atmosphere that prevented air from bubbling up and causing severe weather.
"The cap is sometimes really difficult to get a good forecast on," Dunn said.
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