Massive tornado wreaks havoc on Texas oil refinery

The mile wide tornado was whirling at speeds of over 90 mph as it flattened the refinery.

A 1.6km wide tornado hit a Texas oil refinery yesterday evening, ripping through the plant, causing chemical and gas leaks.

Though the typical period for tornados in the region is in the spring, there is typically a hike in November. Other twisters have been reported in other parts of Texas as well as Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska.

The Halliburton power-plant was completley levelled - luckily no one was inside. However, damage has led to chemical spillages and gas leaks, with two people taken to hospital.

There were initial fears that it may have been radioactive material leaks, but regulators quickly contained the leaks.

Power lines have been downed and damage inflcited to houses and cars in the nearby city of Pampa.

Environmental phenomenon El Nino lessens the effect of tornados in Western America, but 2015's has been relatively weak, leading to fears the season will be far more aggressive than predicted.