Tuesday’s severe weather devastated the Midwest, bringing with it torrential rain, strong gusts, and tornadoes just a day after a fatal tornado tore through a small Oklahoma town, killing at least one person.
The National Weather Service reports that after dark on Tuesday, there were reports of tornadoes over areas of Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. A tornado watch was also in effect for portions of Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri.
Forecasters issued a warning that there may be more twisters and big hail as the storms continued late into the night.
Two tornadoes decimated the city of Portage, which is close to Kalamazoo in southwest Michigan. There were numerous downed trees and electricity lines in the region, according to the local sheriff’s office.
A FedEx representative stated that despite the significant damage, no serious injuries occurred. A FedEx building was demolished, with rubble left lying on delivery vehicles.
As of 9:30 p.m., about fifty individuals were reportedly stuck inside the FedEx facility, according to Taylor Koopman, a county administration spokesman.
“First responders are actively looking for ways to get them out, but there are wires down in the building that they need the power company to clear before they can safely go in,” Koopman stated.
She added that in the meantime, whole houses in the Pavilion Estates mobile home park were demolished.
From Monday night until early Tuesday, the Storm Prediction Center of the National Weather Service in the central United States has received over a dozen reports of tornadoes. Oklahoma accounted for eight of the twisters, with at least one each in Kansas, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Tennessee.
The strong storms coincide with a global upswing in extreme weather, characterized by some of the worst flooding in history in Brazil and an intense heat wave in Asia.
After a tornado on April 1 with maximum wind speeds of 90 to 100 mph (145 to 161 kph) destroyed homes and toppled trees and power poles, this one struck Barnsdall five weeks later.
Following Monday’s twister, one individual was reported missing and one person killed, according to Barnsdall Mayor Johnny Kelley. Tuesday morning, authorities began a second search for the missing man.
“The toughest thing on me as the mayor is this is a small community,” Kelley said. “I know 75% to 80% of the people in this town.”
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol said that Monday night there was damage to at least thirty to forty residences in the Barnsdall region.
Aerial footage revealed some well-built buildings crushed to mounds of rubble, while other residences still had damaged walls and roofs intact. Across the town, the strong tornado uprooted power lines, threw cars, and stripped trees of their branches and bark. There was also significant damage to a 160-acre (65-hectare) wax manufacturing facility in the town.
Related:
- Tornadoes Strike Oklahoma, Kansas Braces for Hail: Severe Weather Alert!
- Alert: NOAA Forecasts High Probability of Destructive Tornadoes
- Nebraska and Iowa Governors Advocate for Federal Disaster Aid After 2024 Tornado Outbreak
About twenty-five individuals, including children, were saved by first responders from severely damaged homes where structures had collapsed on top of or near them, according to Kelley. According to him, there were about six injuries.
During his tour of the storm’s damage on Tuesday, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt stated that weather experts had classified the twister as a powerful tornado with winds as high as 200 mph (322 kph). According to Stitt, legislative leaders and he have decided to allocate $45 million in this year’s budget to aid towns affected by storms.
While some parts of Oklahoma, like Sulphur and Holdenville, were still getting over a tornado that killed four people and left thousands without power late last month, the storms tore across the state. Tornadoes have devastated the Midwest and the Plains this spring.
On Monday, there was a high-risk weather advisory for Kansas and Oklahoma. The last time a warning of this kind was issued was on March 31, 2023, during a severe storm system that devastated areas of the Midwest and South, including rural Indiana, Illinois, and Arkansas.
In the United States, the entire week appears to be stormy. Throughout the remainder of the week, the South and the eastern United States are predicted to bear the brunt of the unfavorable weather, with over 21 million people living in Indianapolis, Memphis, Nashville, St. Louis, and Cincinnati. Over the weekend, it ought to become evident.
