More than 75 million are under a severe storm threat with the potential for tornadoes, hail and strong winds
Early-Time Dynamics of Southern Tornadoes in the Little Rock and Little Rock Valleys of Arkansas, Monday, April 20, 2010, with Multiple Associated Infernal Deaths
Friday’s severe storms came a week after severe weather walloped the Southeast and killed at least 26 people. In Rolling Fork, Mississippi, a tornado with an estimated maximum winds of 170 miles per hour leveled a large portion of the town.
Cities under that alert are Dallas, Detroit, Columbus, Ohio; and Kansas City, Missouri. Isolated tornadoes, high winds, and large hail are the main threats.
The series of grueling tornadoes come just a week after a rare, long-lasting twister left 25 people dead in western Mississippi and one person in Alabama.
There is a slight risk of storms in the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, which includes Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Cincinnati and Louisville.
At least 50 people were sent to hospitals in Arkansas’ Pulaski County, where a tornado roared through the Little Rock area Friday, county spokesperson Madeline Roberts said. The five people who were hospitalized after a tornado touched down in Tennessee are from Baptist Memorial Health Care.
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Medical Center in Little Rock was operating at a mass casualty level, spokesperson Leslie Taylor said. The exact number of people who were transported to the medical center was not immediately available.
On the progress of tornado warnings and large hail in the southwest of Oklahoma City, according to a woman resident Niki Scott and her husband, Edmond
Resident Niki Scott took cover in the bathroom after her husband called to say a tornado was headed her way. She could hear glass shattering as the tornado roared past, and emerged afterward to find that her house was one of the few on her street that didn’t have a tree fall on it.
The Little Rock Fire Department reported heavy damage and debris in the western end of the city, saying on its Facebook page that firefighters were performing rescue operations in the area.
She wrote on her account that she was praying for those who were stuck in the storm. “Arkansans must continue to stay weather aware as storms are continuing to move through.”
People at the Clinton National Airport were told to stay in the bathroom for more than three hours because several rooftops were torn from homes.
There were over 30,000 without power in Oklahoma, where the wind gusts between 50 and 60 mph quickly caused grass fires. People were urged to evacuate homes in far northeast Oklahoma City, and troopers shut down portions of Interstate 35 near the suburb of Edmond.
Preliminary information shows at least 22 tornadoes were reported in Illinois, eight in Iowa, four in Tennessee, five in Wisconsin and a couple in Mississippi.
On Friday, large hail proved to be a dangerous when it bombarded northern Illinois, cracking and denting cars’ windshields, according to a Facebook post from the Fulton County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency.
All told, by Friday afternoon, tornado watches issued by the National Weather Service cover most of Missouri, Arkansas and Iowa; western Illinois; and parts of Wisconsin, Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Mississippi.
It was warned that a severe weather threat could include tornadoes, large hail and powerful winds.
Two killed by tornadoes in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Indianapolis, Indiana, and the University of Iowa canceling watch party for the NCAA basketball game against South Carolina
In Iowa City, the University of Iowa canceled Friday’s watch party for fans who planned to gather for the women’s basketball Final Four game against South Carolina.
The hazardous forecast is a result of strong southerly winds that transport a lot of precipitation from the Gulf of Mexico north into the storm system.
The executive branch offices of the state of South Dakota will be closed Friday as a result of the weather. Many counties had warnings about the storm.
The weather service is forecasting another batch of intense storms next Tuesday in the same general area as last week. Brandon Buckingham said earlier this week that the first 10 days of April will be rough.
Two people in the small city of Wynne, Arkansas were killed by a tornado that also killed another person in North Little Rock, local officials said.
Two people were killed in Indiana by a storm Friday night that damaged homes and a volunteer fire department near Sullivan, a city about a 95-mile drive southwest of Indianapolis, State Police Sgt. Matt Ames said that.
The Elusive Storms that Came: Turning a City Back on Its Heroes, Rejoind Its Families, and Preventing Disasters
William Williams told KATV he was grateful to be alive after a tornado ripped through the area while he was working. He took shelter inside the store and went out to see people who had been injured.
Everything happened in a blink of an eye. It came – boom,” Williams told KATV. A lot of noise could be heard. … I go outside, and it is crazy. People had blood all over their faces. … I’m just thankful that I’m alive.”
The Mayor of Wynne said that the city was cut in half by the damage done to the east and west.
There was a series of storms that included a tornado and baseball-size hail. In Belvidere, a city northwest of Chicago, one person died and 28 were injured after the roof of the Apollo Theatre caved in.
About 78 miles southeast of there, several businesses were “basically destroyed,” Sheriff Jack Campbell told CNN, and up to 40 homes were damaged around Sherman, less than 10 miles north of Springfield.
More than 350,000 customers in Indiana, Illinois, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin were without power as of Saturday morning, according to Poweroutage.us, which tracks outages.
In Arkansas, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency, noting the state will “spare no resource” in responding and recovering from the storm and activated the state’s National Guard.
The Damage and Loss The Adamsville, Tenn., Community Suffered in the Afterglow of a Tornado: A CNN Investigative Report
The Adamsville Police Department said in a statement on social media Saturday that the damage and loss the community suffered was “catastrophic”.
In Covington, Tenn., the local police department said the city was “impassable” in the wake of a tornado. Homes were battered, power lines were downed and search and rescue teams were deployed, according to police.
In Little Rock, at least one person was killed and two dozen were hospitalized, local officials said. Homes, apartment complexes and storefronts were severely damaged, according to the Little Rock Police Department.
About 260 people were at the venue to attend a heavy metal concert when calls about a collapse began to come in.
“Our worst fears became a reality earlier when we learned that members of our community have lost their lives,” Sullivan County Sheriff Jason Bobbitt said on Saturday morning.
There are at least four people injured and one person dead due to the severe weather that hit Pontotoc County in northern Mississippi.
