Estimated read time: 8-9 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The Latest on severe weather in the central and eastern U.S. (all times local):
9:25 p.m.
The National Weather Service has confirmed at least three tornados touched down in central Illinois as storms moved across the Midwest.
A tornado briefly touched down around 7:45 p.m. on farm land north of Olney, a town of about 9,000, in east-central Illinois' Richland County.
Another tornado touched down around 7 p.m. three miles south of the Effingham County community of Altamont. There have been no major reports of damage. However, straight-line winds blew over a semi-trailer truck on U.S. 40, and power lines were toppled. Also a service station awning was toppled in Montrose, damaging a vehicle. No injuries were reported.
A third tornado was reported northeast of the Montgomery County village of Raymond. No damage was reported.
___
6:10 p.m.
The National Weather Service says another tornado has touched down in southwest Iowa.
Kevin Skow, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Johnston, said Wednesday that multiple reports from spotters on the ground have confirmed that a rain-wrapped tornado has touched down just south of Creston. He says it is too early to know if there is any major damage or injuries.
The National Weather Service in Valley, Nebraska, issued a tornado watch for southwest and south-central portions of the state until 9 p.m. Wednesday.
___
5:40 p.m.
Oklahoma hospitals say 12 injuries have been linked to storms Tuesday that brought hail, high winds and a few small tornadoes to the Great Plains and other states.
The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management reported Wednesday that there were more than 25,000 power outages at the height of Tuesday's storms.
County authorities across Oklahoma reported damaged buildings, trees and power lines, including one "substantially damaged" home in Luther near the site of a confirmed EF1 tornado.
Oklahoma City authorities reported no injuries or significant damage as a result of the storms.
The American Red Cross says it is offering assistance to those affected by the storm in several areas, including Wagoner, Washington, Davis and Murray counties.
___
5:15 p.m.
The National Weather Service has confirmed that three tornadoes are responsible for some of the worst storm damage experienced in a North Texas county.
Forecasters confirmed three tornadoes hit Grayson County on Tuesday night, with two that were rated EF1 hitting Whitesboro and Howe. The Whitesboro tornado packed winds of 85 to 90 mph, while the Howe tornado had winds estimated at 95 to 100 mph.
An EF-0 tornado, with winds of 80 to 85 mph, hit the nearby town of Bells.
Five people were reported injured in the storm. Tornadoes tore up roofs, uprooted trees and tossed vehicles.
___
4:10 p.m.
Officials have confirmed a tornado has briefly touched down in northwest Omaha.
National Weather Service meteorologist David Pearson says a tornado touched down several times Wednesday afternoon but only briefly. Officials continue to monitor the system as it remains in the area.
Pearson says no major damage has been reported in the suburban area, but there have been reports of flying debris.
___
3:50 p.m.
The National Weather Service says a tornado touched down in southwestern Iowa.
Kevin Skow, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Johnston, says it's unknown if the tornado near the city of Stanton caused any damage.
The National Weather Service in Valley, Nebraska, has issued a tornado watch for southwest and south-central portions of Iowa until 9 p.m. Wednesday.
___
3 p.m.
The National Weather Service has confirmed two small tornadoes caused damage within 30 miles of Oklahoma City.
Meteorologist Matthew Day said Wednesday that survey teams confirmed an EF1 tornado struck Tuesday night near Luther. The agency confirmed that a weaker tornado touched down in Mustang and caused damage consistent with that of an EF0 tornado, the lowest strength ranking.
Day says teams from the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, surveyed the locations Wednesday after radar suggested there may have been tornadoes.
___
1:30 p.m.
A National Weather Service survey team has confirmed that a tornado touched down Tuesday in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where storms uprooted trees, snapped power poles and damaged roofs.
In a preliminary assessment, the agency determined the damage less than a mile from where Interstate 44 crosses the Arkansas River was consistent with that of an EF1 tornado.
National Weather Service teams are also investigating reports of at least six other possible twisters from Tuesday's storms, including two in Texas, two in Kansas, one in Indiana and another in Missouri.
Agency spokeswoman Keli Pirtle says it's unclear when survey teams will release those results.
___
11 a.m.
Heavy rainfall from a night of storms has caused flooding in two southern Nebraska cities, forced the evacuation of a nursing home and led officials to cancel some school classes.
Thayer County Emergency Manager Bill McPherson says Hebron and Deshler both saw minor flooding in streets, but no property damage was reported. Around 45 patients and residents from Parkview Haven Nursing Home and Meadowlark Heights Assisted Living in Deshler spent the night at Deshler High School because of flooding concerns but returned Wednesday morning.
Classes at Deshler Public Schools were canceled because of some road flooding.
National Weather Service meteorologist Jerilyn Billings Wright says a radar-estimated 6 to 8 inches fell Tuesday and overnight to the west of Deshler. Flooding forced closure of U.S. Highway 136, but it's been reopened.
___
10 a.m.
Officials say a 62-year-old woman has died after a tree fell on her home as storms swept through southeast Texas.
The Harris County sheriff's office said the woman was found dead early Wednesday morning from what appeared to be her roof collapsing from a falling tree in the Tomball area, located northwest of Houston. The sheriff's office says deputies found several homes damaged by falling trees in the area.
Her name was not yet released.
National Weather Service meteorologist Patrick Blood says they will be looking at whether the damage caused in the area was from high winds or tornadoes. He said there were wind gusts of more than 60 mph in the area.
___
9 a.m.
Forecasters are predicting stormy weather in parts of the Midwest and South but strong tornadoes are looking less likely.
The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, says an area stretching from New Orleans to central Illinois could see scattered storms with strong winds and hail on Wednesday. Severe thunderstorm watches have been issued for parts of Louisiana and Mississippi, where forecasters say wind gusts of up to 75 mph are possible.
But the Storm Prediction Center says the overall storm risk is lower than on Tuesday, when forecasters warned that conditions were ripe for a severe weather outbreak.
Many areas saw large hail and strong winds, but the Storm Prediction Center received just five unconfirmed reports of tornadoes — two in Texas and one each in Indiana, Kansas and Missouri.
___
8:35 a.m.
Several Missouri communities are experiencing minor to moderate flooding after a spring storm swept through the state.
Flood warnings are in effect Wednesday for several communities, largely in the western part of the state. Counties affected include Andrew, Buchanan, Clay, Clinton, DeKalb, Holt, Jackson and Platte counties.
The warnings come as the state's southwest cleans up from strong winds. The National Weather Service is reporting snapped tree limbs in Christian and Taney counties and toppled power poles in Stone County. Winds blew the roof off a house in Jasper County and damaged a brick structure in Barton County.
Wind gusts of more than 60 mph were reported in Vernon and St. Clair counties. Half-inch size hail also was reported in Franklin County in eastern Missouri.
___
6:40 a.m.
The National Weather Service is investigating reports of two possible tornadoes southwest Indiana after spring storms moved through the state.
Preliminary reports indicate a tornado may have hit the Evansville area, 170 miles southwest of Indianapolis, on Tuesday. The weather service office in Paducah, Kentucky, is sending a damage survey team to the area on Wednesday.
Forecasters in Indianapolis say another possible tornado damaged a barn Tuesday evening, near the town of Worthington. Indianapolis forecasters say they are investigating that report.
Thunderstorms developed Tuesday in Indiana as a cold front moved into the central part of the state. The storms produced large hail.
___
3:45 a.m.
A tornado caused injuries in northern Texas amid a series of storms that brought hail and high winds to the nation's midsection.
Howe Police Chief Carl Hudman says four people were injured when vehicles they were in were caught up in a tornado that hit the town north of Dallas on Tuesday night around 10 p.m.
No deaths have been reported.
The Nation Weather Service Storm Prediction Center said 60 million people from the Gulf Coast to the Midwest east to North Carolina and Virginia should be alert for strong storms on Wednesday. The nastiest weather was predicted for an area from Houston north into part of Iowa.
___
1:45 a.m.
The nation's midsection is facing another day of foul weather after a series of storms brought huge hail and high winds, but not as many tornadoes as had been feared.
The Nation Weather Service Storm Prediction Center said 60 million people from the Gulf Coast to the Midwest east to North Carolina and Virginia should be alert for strong storms on Wednesday. The nastiest weather was predicted for an area from Houston north into part of Iowa.
A day earlier, hail as big as grapefruit fell in northern Kansas, while winds approaching hurricane force raked communities from Nebraska and Missouri to Texas.
Uprooted trees, downed power lines and roof damage were reported in parts of Texas and Oklahoma. No deaths or injuries were reported.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
