Tornadoes kill a dozen people in Midwest of US
Liam Dutton
Weather Presenter
A number of powerful storms moved across the Midwest of the US during Wednesday, spawning tornadoes and leaving a trail of destruction that killed 12 people.
The violent weather hit six Midwest states in total, starting in Kansas in the early hours of Wednesday, before sweeping eastwards through Missouri and Tennessee, then moving on to Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.
Four people lost their lives in Missouri, one of whom was killed when a tornado ripped through a mobile home park in rural Buffalo. A tornado also temporarily closed the famous entertainment strip in Branson, which draws crowds of thousands each day to watch country music shows.
In Tennessee, the Cumberland Plateau region, two hours east of Nashville, was hit hard, with three people killed by a tornado according to emergency agency officials.
The greatest number of deaths from the severe weather was in southern Illinois when a tornado struck Harrisburg – a town of 10,000 people. Mayor Eric Gregg described the storm damage as “horrific”.
He added: “There are hundreds of homes damaged, millions of dollars in damage. The hospital is severely damaged. There’s a mall with 10 stores that was destroyed”.
Two men and four women died early on Wednesday when a tornado struck a house, lifting and then collapsing it, crushing them inside.
The deadly weather in Illinois prompted Governor Pat Quinn to issue a disaster declaration for the southern third of the state.
The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center rated the Harrisburg tornado as an EF-4, which is just one step below the strongest of tornadoes. This rating suggests that the twister had winds of up to 200mph.
Tornadoes are common in the US Midwest at this time of year as spring approaches. Cold arctic air collides with warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico to produce explosive thunderstorms which can cause potentially deadly weather.
Last year tornadoes killed 550 people in the US, the deadliest year in nearly a century, according to the National Weather Service. As well as a significant loss of life, the US National Climate Center estimated that $28.7bn of damage occurred.
Another round of storms is expected to hit the Midwest during Friday and Saturday, with a threat of further tornadoes and severe weather in similar areas.