'This thing is sucking us in': Mile-wide tornado reported outside Oklahoma City; Elementary school hit? Death toll at least 51 [photos]; Update: Officials lower death toll to 24

KFOR in Oklahoma City is reporting some terrifying news for the area: a tornado more than a mile wide is being reported moving toward the city Monday afternoon.

Tornado sirens going off in downtown OKC pic.twitter.com/FlIKctBJ60

— Al Roker (@alroker) May 20, 2013

WX UPDATE: SW 149th between Portland and May need to take your tornado precautions right now. This is a very large and powerful tornado.

— News 9 (@NEWS9) May 20, 2013

Tornado mile wide at Penn and Western, S. 19th St. Get LIVE STREAMING storm coverage on mobile phone: http://t.co/VSMPOWDpaY

— KFOR (@kfor) May 20, 2013

Mile and quarter wide tornado S. 16th St. to S. 166th St. Heaviest debris on 119th st.

— KFOR (@kfor) May 20, 2013

Tornado tracking East into neighborhoods again. Tornado may be 2 miles wide in Moore.

— KFOR (@kfor) May 20, 2013

Tornado on the ground in Newcastle, OK (pic: @DanielleDozier) pic.twitter.com/6GrjghuIz3

— BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) May 20, 2013

DEVELOPING: PICTURE: LARGE TORNADO DOING MAJOR DAMAGE NEAR MOORE, OK VIA @NEWS9 pic.twitter.com/WBfNCLjz6K

— Johnny Kelly (@stormchaser4850) May 20, 2013

This Oklahoma tornado picture looks like movie special effects – I hope all of you there are safe – @koconews pic.twitter.com/N52kjSnjWL

— Cameron Gray (@Cameron_Gray) May 20, 2013

Horrifying news:

Storm chaser in OKC just said that he thinks he lost his house.

— Melissa Mackenzie (@MelissaTweets) May 20, 2013

http://twitter.com/hollybdc/statuses/336580467363033089

http://twitter.com/hollybdc/statuses/336581407004577792

http://twitter.com/hollybdc/statuses/336581891337641984

Getting reports of kids trapped at Briarwood Elementary near OKC. 2nd tornado may be forming

— Al Roker (@alroker) May 20, 2013

CBS-TV Affiliate KWTV says Briarwood Elementary School in Moore, OK was damaged by the tornado. Extent of damage unclear.

— Charlie Kaye (@CharlieKayeNews) May 20, 2013

PHOTO: Massive tornado in I-44 area of Oklahoma City currently on the ground (KWTV/KDTV) pic.twitter.com/7ILm09hmBH

— FOX 4 NEWS (@FOX4) May 20, 2013

.@NEWS9 reporting the tornado struck Briarwood Elementary in Moore, and that kids may be trapped.

— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) May 20, 2013

The sirens are going off again, looks like there is another development in the same area – #Okla Gov tells @jaketapper #CNN #Tornado

— Jennifer Hanks (@ScogginsHanks) May 20, 2013

TORNADO EMERGENCY: Tornado is moving about 25 MPH. Our chaser says he believes twister hit his house near 4th St in Moore.

— Katy Blakey (@KatyBlakeyNBC5) May 20, 2013

http://twitter.com/hboulware/statuses/336583618992406529

http://twitter.com/hboulware/statuses/336583780229857280

Shot of #Oklahoma #tornado from our sister station @kfor's helicopter a short time ago. pic.twitter.com/GhF96y60P5

— Jeremy Hubbard (@JeremyHubbard) May 20, 2013

It looks like the tornado in Oklahoma has dissipated, but before it did we grabbed this image from the live feed. pic.twitter.com/ju8uXXAk1O

— FOX 7 Austin (@fox7austin) May 20, 2013

@Chopper4Jon over Moore tornado damage. Homes leveled, Warren Theatre hit, trailer park gone. Devastation. http://t.co/XwIF9i0ZlT

— KFOR (@kfor) May 20, 2013

If this is not a mass-casualty event, I will be shocked. This is sobering and just absolutely sad. #OKwx #Tornado pic.twitter.com/AxgapIqujc

— Justin Fritts ☈ (@LiveDoppler) May 20, 2013

PHOTO: Massive destruction in Moore, Oklahoma pic.twitter.com/TfGlbz0swe

— NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt (@NBCNightlyNews) May 20, 2013

Moore Oklahoma is flattened….. I haven't seen anything like this since 1999 #news pic.twitter.com/VQNZCu9ZpH

— Mike Francis (@MikeFrancisWX) May 20, 2013

https://twitter.com/FOX4/status/336590127751127040/photo/1

The tornado has passed through Moore, Okla., and residents are currently emerging from shelters and surveying the rubble.

https://twitter.com/jordosbaloney/status/336588580820484097

KWTV showing some very upsetting footage. A woman impaled on debris, a mother and kids who emerged from their destroyed house. #OKC #tornado

— Dan ?????????????? (@swingdownbeat) May 20, 2013

#okwx #KWTV http://t.co/Po1YuSYeum is carefully avoiding live shots of people impaled by debris being rescued. More storms forming.

— Thomas Ray (@lazarusrang) May 20, 2013

https://twitter.com/lancewest/status/336473384936419328

Two schools — Briarwood Elementary and Plaza Tower Elementary — are reported to have been hit.

Plaza Tower School completely leveled. Same as May, 1999

— Babs *of the dregs* InFlyOverKzoo (@PeriwinkleDsgns) May 20, 2013

Image from about 40 minutes ago showing a school damaged in the #Tornado in Oklahoma. pic.twitter.com/RAx5npxVJz

— Denver7 News (@DenverChannel) May 20, 2013

* * *

This ground-level view from the scene gives perhaps the clearest perspective of the situation yet.

Good lord: David Massey's post on Vine – https://t.co/RrYDSumNFX

— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahDispatch) May 20, 2013

* * *

Update:

The medical examiner reports in a 9 p.m. Eastern news conference that 51 have been confirmed killed in the tornadoes.

OK State Medical Examiner’s Office: 51 dead in the Oklahoma City area tornado tonight.

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) May 21, 2013

Authorities expect tornado death toll to rise as emergency crews moved deeper into the hardest-hit areas: http://t.co/lxW4i5IJNG -RJJ

— The Associated Press (@AP) May 21, 2013

Nick Oxford is a freelance photojournalist on the scene in Moore, Okla.

Complete devastation in Moore Oklahoma pic.twitter.com/NTfR4pshPX

— Nick Oxford (@NickOxfordPhoto) May 21, 2013

Moore OK pic.twitter.com/WES6AzZuNZ

— Nick Oxford (@NickOxfordPhoto) May 21, 2013

Completely wiped out street in Moore pic.twitter.com/0lasKVsQqk

— Nick Oxford (@NickOxfordPhoto) May 21, 2013

Still searching pic.twitter.com/fxEzWJ1Xpz

— Nick Oxford (@NickOxfordPhoto) May 21, 2013

Update:

As of Tuesday morning, Oklahoma City officials put the death toll at 24, including seven children.

Twitchy will update this developing story as details are available.