Severe storms damage the Plains and midwest as forecasts warn of tornadoes | US weather
A day after severe storms devastated communities in the Plains and midwest, forecasters warned that storms could again bring giant hail, tornadoes and high winds to the areas Tuesday afternoon and evening.
Authorities in Kansas reported several people with minor injuries following Monday’s storms. Three people suffered minor injuries in rural Franklin County, about 50 miles southwest of Kansas City, according to the sheriff’s office. In the town of Ottawa, officials said there was structural damage but no deaths or injuries. The National Weather Service survey team will assess damage in the Ottawa area on Tuesday to determine whether the tornado moved through there, according to Chelsea Picha, a meteorologist with the weather service office in Topeka.
In neighboring Miami County, two people reported minor injuries, multiple homes were destroyed and recreational vehicles and campers were overturned, according to the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office said power lines in Hillsdale were de-energized until cleanup can be completed safely.
Three tornadoes occurred in southern Minnesota, where some damage to farms was reported, according to Jake Beitlich, a meteorologist in the Twin Cities office. Baseball-sized hail that damaged vehicles in the area was also reported, he said.
Jeff Boyne, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s La Crosse, Wisconsin office, said the tornado touched down near Gilman, a village of about 380 people in northwestern Wisconsin, but the damage was minor. The weather service was still working to determine the extent of the hurricane. The storms blew off the roof of a manufactured home in Steuben, a village of about 120 people in southwestern Wisconsin, but no injuries were reported in the state, he said.
Some schools in the Madison area were forced to close Tuesday morning due to a power outage. More than 25,000 customers were without power in Wisconsin as of Tuesday morning, according to Poweroutage.us.
Forecasters warned that significant river and minor stream flooding was expected in the Upper Great Lakes through the weekend; The heaviest rainfall is expected to occur with scattered flash flooding through Wednesday.
In Michigan, the state’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, declared a state of emergency at the Cheboygan Dam and Dam Complex on Friday as record snowfall in March and recent rains raised water levels. More pumps were added Monday to help push water into Lake Huron. As of 7 a.m. Tuesday morning, the water level was 7.68 inches (19.5 cm) below the top of the structure, according to the state website.
