OKLAHOMA CITY — Severe storms and tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma early Sunday, tossing cars and ripping roofs off buildings and leaving tens of thousands of homes and businesses without power in the middle of the night. Authorities said 11 people had to be hospitalized amid numerous injuries.

Most of the damage was reported in and around Oklahoma City, near the state seat, but it was also scattered elsewhere in the state. Early morning storms prompted tornado warnings that extended south to the Arkansas state line. Heavy rains caused flash floods in some areas, and a fire was reported to have broken out in a house caused by lightning.

More than 99,000 homes and businesses in Oklahoma lost power during overnight storms. By late Sunday afternoon, that number had fallen to around 24,000. No deaths were reported.

Richard Thompson, chief forecaster for the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma, said he believes six or more tornadoes hit the state overnight. Meanwhile, forecasters warned the state’s residents to be prepared for heavier rains and possible severe weather through Monday.

“We’re not done with this yet,” he said.

A tornado watch was in effect for much of central and southeastern Oklahoma until 8 p.m. Sunday. There were storm or flood watches in other areas.

Firefighters and police officers in the town of Choctaw, east of Oklahoma City, went door-to-door Sunday morning asking for information about injuries.

“A neighborhood in Choctaw was completely destroyed,” the town’s mayor, Chad Allcox, told the Associated Press. He added that the debris hindered search and rescue efforts. “Power lines are down everywhere… most of the roads are closed, difficult to pass. Very large trees are blocking the roads.”

Oklahoma City Fire Department spokesman Scott Douglas told the AP that heavy rain and the lingering tornado threat in the early morning darkness complicated early search and rescue efforts. He described the first sweep of hard-hit areas around 01:30

“It was a heavy downpour. We were trying to scan the area in case another hurricane was coming,” he said. “So that was in the back of our minds, too.”

Douglas said emergency workers had to rescue two people from an overturned mobile home, including a woman who was injured when an air conditioner fell on her leg.

As daylight broke out, the extent of the damage became apparent. Local television footage showed downed power lines, uprooted homes, overturned vehicles and neighborhood streets filled with debris.

Douglas said that 11 people were transported to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. “There were other minor injuries, some were walking wounded and would have been treated on their own,” Douglas said.

Early weather warnings and tornado sirens likely saved lives, Allcox said.

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said several shelters were available for displaced residents or those without power, including one opened by the American Red Cross at a casino.

Southern Oklahoma Heart Hospital was also damaged, state health officials said.

At the University of Oklahoma, school officials urged students and staff to take shelter and move to the bottom floor as storms approached campus after midnight. The National Weather Service office in Norman also issued urgent warnings, posting on social media: “If you are in the path of this storm, take cover immediately!”

Parts of Oklahoma were at risk of heavier rain and thunderstorms later Sunday.

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Associated Press reporters Kevin McGill in New Orleans and Jackie Quinn in Washington contributed.