Tornadoes rip through rural Iowa, smashing homes to pieces as millions of ... trends now
Millions of people are hunkering down across the Midwest as a vicious storm reaches its peak and barrels eastward after tornadoes touched down in four states.
Homes were smashed to pieces in Missouri after a tornado swept through Clay County and more twisters and 15 more were reported in Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas.
South Dakota, Illinois and Wisconsin are also under alert with lethal golf ball-sized hailstones as tornado season produced its strongest showing of the year so far.
‘There is a risk of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes that continues as we go through Tuesday night into Wednesday morning,’ said Orelon Sidney of the Weather Channel.
‘I want you to be especially vigilant across parts of Iowa where there is a risk of EF2 tornadoes where you can see two-inch hail or larger. This is an all-hazards situation.’
Ethan Steenbach saw his outhouses scattered in the branches after a tornado touched down in Overbrook, Kansas, on Tuesday morning
And little was left of this home nearby after the storm tore a path outside the town
Homs and farm buildings were scattered over dozens of acres after a twister hit the ground outside New London in Iowa and more homes were battered in nearby Minburn.
Thousands braced themselves as a tornado surged near Rockwell, and drivers slammed on their brakes in Salem as roofs were torn from industrial buildings and tumbled across the road while leaving a garage destroyed nearby.
One was spotted drifting ominously across a field in Pocahontas County ten minutes after appearing near Palmer.
Another touched down in Monroe, Nebraska, and more were reported from Colfax and Platte in the Cornhusker state.
The FAA was left scrambling to reroute flights to avoid the worst of the winds, warning their plans 'may cause issues getting in and out of the New York and DC region later on' in the day.
'Thunderstorms throughout Salt Lake City in Denver may also required routes in and out of Denver Airport,' National Traffic Management Officer Wayne Hubbard said from the FAA's Command Center.
'Beyond that, we'll continue to work on our constraints. You can check our website at faa.gov for information as it comes.'
The National Weather Service warned that the storm could impact as far south as the Ozarks and Mid-South before the center of the storm heads for the Great Lakes tomorrow.
The epicenter of the storm was covering thousands of square miles on Tuesday evening
A tornado was seen forming over Nebraska early in the afternoon as the system moved east. The towering mass of wind was photographed as it moved north
FAA National Traffic Management Officer Wayne Hubbard revealed the agency has rerouted flights to address parts of the system set to form over Central and South Virginia Tuesday afternoon
Southern Iowa, Northern Missouri and Central Illinois will all face the largest threat of 'significant hail and tornadoes,' the NWS said - while parts of Oklahoma , Missouri and Virginia also face a slight risk. Pictured, the jet stream fueling the supercell
Sixteen tornadoes across four states had been reported to the NOAA by late afternoon
‘There is a risk for supercells especially across northern Missouri into southern/eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois,’ they said in an update.
‘Steep mid-level lapse rates will aid in hail production, with a few golf ball or two plus inch diameter stones possible with the more robust cores.
‘The main tornado potential is still expected to be focused along/near the warm front in southern/eastern Iowa.’
More than 70million Americans remain under severe weather alert as the forefront of the sprawling storm system struck Washington, DC, and Virginia late Monday.
Frightening footage showed lighting that also enveloped the area, with bolts seen illuminating the night sky over Richmond as rain fell.
Thousands of Dominion Energy customers in the Richmond region were left without power Monday night as a result - an outage estimated to affect around 13,000 customers.
More than 12,000 customers were without power in Missouri as the sun set on Tuesday, with another 7,000 out in Iowa.
‘As we turn into Wednesday the focus is going to turn onto the Great Lakes,’ said Sidney.
‘And then by Thursday we’re back into the southern plains, Mid-Mississippi Valley as the cold front pushes eastward.’
NEBRASKA, KANSAS, AND OKLAHOMA
Law enforcement officers in Kansas reported that a tornado touched down southeast of Eureka around 4:45 am, putting Greenwood county under a tornado warning until 5 am.
No one was reported injured, but a recreational vehicle was reported destroyed in Osage County.
At least four to five homes southwest of Overbook were also damaged, as photos showed downed trees and branches blocking roads.
At 6.45am, an EF1 tornado touched down just southwest of Overbrook, on the ground for 10 miles hitting Richland. It had winds of 100 mph, damaged several structures, and injured at least two people.
Damage south of Eureka from a likely tornado is seen here on Tuesday morning. Law enforcement officers in Kansas reported that a tornado touched down southeast of the town around 4:45 am
Two hours later, an EF1 tornado touched down just southwest of Overbrook, on the ground for 10 miles hitting Richland
It had winds of 100 mph, damaged several structures, and injured at least two people. One of the damaged homes is seen here
Earlier in the morning, blindingly bright lightning is seen from the growing storm as it approached Dodge City, Kansas, on Tuesday
No other information was immediately available, but photos of some of the damage were shared by the NWS.
Another tornado was seen hours earlier in Southern Nebraska, as areas further north were plagued by power outages and more storm damage.
At 3am, power outages were reported in the city of Juniata, but power has since been restored.
Tree limbs were also blown down from more than 60mph winds in nearby Kearny county, where a train derailed a few miles east, near the intersection of Highway 30 and Keystone Road just before 4am, the Buffalo County Sheriff's Office confirmed.
Thunderstorm winds of 55-to-65 miles-per-hour
