.-') _      .-') _  
                      ( OO ) )    ( OO ) ) 
          .-----. ,--./ ,--,' ,--./ ,--,'
         '  .--./ |   \ |  |\ |   \ |  |\  
         |  |('-. |    \|  | )|    \|  | ) 
        /_) |OO  )|  .     |/ |  .     |/  
        ||  |`-'| |  |\    |  |  |\    |   
       (_'  '--'\ |  | \   |  |  | \   |
          `-----' `--'  `--'  `--'  `--'
       lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
       
       
       ARTICLE VIEW: 
       
       Powerful storms fire up in the Midwest with large hail and tornadoes
       
       By Elizabeth Wolfe, Robert Shackelford and Mary Gilbert, CNN
       
       Updated: 
       
       3:24 AM EDT, Wed April 17, 2024
       
       Source: CNN
       
       A powerful storm system is spinning up tornadoes, unloading hail and
       sending damaging wind gusts over parts of the Mississippi Valley and
       Midwest Tuesday.
       
       Tornado reports were made in at least 10 counties across Nebraska,
       Iowa, Missouri and Kansas on Tuesday, according to the National Weather
       Service.
       
       One of the reported tornadoes tore a nearly 7-mile path through Dallas
       County, Iowa, destroying a handful of agricultural buildings and doing
       minor damage to residences and land, the local emergency management
       office said.
       
       Numerous large trees were snapped and uprooted and a farm outbuilding
       was ripped from its foundation when two tornadoes roared through
       Greenwood County, Kansas, early Tuesday, the weather service in
       Wichita .
       
       Further east, an tornado touched down around Smithville, Missouri,
       Tuesday morning, tearing off roof coverings and partially collapsing
       the wall of at least one building, according to a social media  from
       the weather service in Kansas City.
       
       Storms were expected to expand in scope and strength through Tuesday
       evening and place millions at risk of severe weather from Minnesota and
       Wisconsin to Arkansas and Tennessee.
       
       Any of Tuesday’s storms could feature hail, strong winds or
       tornadoes, but the most significant hail and tornado threat includes
       Iowa, northern Missouri and west-central Illinois. An “enhanced,”
       or level 3 of 5, risk for severe thunderstorms covered this area, which
       includes Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for much of Tuesday,
       according to the .
       
       Storms could produce hailstones the size of baseballs and strong
       tornadoes – strength or greater – in this region, especially during
       the afternoon and evening hours, the center said.
       
       A larger portion of the Midwest had a slight, or level 2 of 5, risk for
       severe thunderstorms Tuesday, the prediction center said.
       
       Pockets of heavy rainfall may also trigger flash flooding in parts of
       the northern Plains and Mississippi Valley, even outside of the areas
       that experience severe thunderstorms. Rainfall totals could reach 3
       inches and fall at rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour in some places.
       
       Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Milwaukee have already received a surplus of
       rain this month, with more than a dozen river gauges already at minor
       flood stage even before this round of rain. More rain could overwhelm
       rivers and streams and lead to flash flooding.
       
       Storms will track farther east on Wednesday and bring a new round of
       severe thunderstorms from the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley to as far
       south as Tennessee and Arkansas. Soaking rain will also fall in the
       Northeast.
       
       All hazards – including hail, damaging winds and tornadoes – are
       possible on Wednesday in parts of Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.
       
       On Thursday, another round of storms is set to sweep from Texas to
       Ohio.
       
       “Scattered strong to severe storms capable of damaging winds, large
       hail, and perhaps a couple tornadoes will be possible Thursday from
       parts of eastern Missouri into the lower Ohio Valley and vicinity,”
       warns the Storm Prediction Center.
       
       Elevated fire risk in some states
       
       Gusty winds accompanying the storms are contributing to a widespread
       elevated risk of fire across the Southwest through Wednesday morning.
       
       are active Tuesday in New Mexico, Texas and parts of Colorado. They are
       also in place in northeast Montana.
       
       Strong winds, combined with low humidity and brittle brush, could fuel
       the rapid spread of any fires that may ignite in the warning area, the
       National Weather Service said. People should take care to avoid
       activities that may spark fires.
       
       Simple fire prevention measures include properly discarding cigarettes,
       keeping cars off of dry grass, avoiding creating open flames or sparks,
       and obeying burn bans, the weather service in Albuquerque, New Mexico,
       .
       
   DIR  <- back to index