The death toll from a series of tornadoes and violent storms that swept across the Midwest rose to at least nine Saturday, with dozens reported injured as officials continued to assess damage.



The Friday night storms battered a region still recovering from the deadly tornado that killed two dozen people in Moore, Okla., May 20, leveling suburban neighborhoods.



Perhaps as a result, many Oklahoma City commuters who heard tornado sirens late Friday headed for safety and found themselves trapped on local highways as tornadoes loomed. At least five tornadoes struck the area, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Mark Wiley at the regional headquarters in Fort Worth.