Tornadoes, hurricanes make landfall in central Texas, injuring 23 people
Large swaths of the central United States endured severe weather the following Wednesday At least 23 people were injured Tuesday night as a tornado hit central Texas.
Lower Mississippi Valley, Midwest, and lower Ohio Valley all face the threat of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms, According to the National Weather Service.
Potentially Accompanying Storms strong winds and “huge hail” up to the size of a baseball, the weather service said. On Wednesday afternoon, several states were issued tornado warnings, including parts of Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee and Mississippi.
More severe weather is forecast for Thursday along the South China Sea, The storm forecast center said. The biggest risk area would be the Northeast.
On Tuesday, 23 people were injured, including 12 hospitalized, after a tornado has been confirmed attacked Salado, Texas, a rural town in Bell County, Bell County Judge David Blackburn said at a press conference.
Blackburn said he was grateful that no one died.
“Not much left,” he said. “Big trees were uprooted, toppled and stripped; buildings were literally turned to rubble in many places. Power lines, power poles were scattered everywhere. It was quite devastating.”
In Louisville, Kentucky, a violent storm tore through the area Wednesday night. More than 19,000 people have no power, according to LG&E. Across the region, approximately 41,000 LG&E customers lost power.
Texas was still without power in the tens of thousands on Wednesday afternoon, according to poweroutage.us.
Grapefruit-sized hail was also accompanied by tornadoes, part of a severe storm system extending from Austin to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Local National Weather Service office reported. Hail up to 5 ½ inches in diameter fell in the Salado area, surpassing the weather service’s hail reporting standards including only hail up to 4½ inches, according to AccuWeather.
Weather service urges residents to seek shelter Tuesday as the tornado headed toward town at 30 mph with “very strong rotation.” The weather agency called the tornado “a life-threatening situation” and said hail and “dangerous flash floods” added the threat.
On Wednesday, weather service said it began surveying damage in the Williamson and Bell counties of Texas.
Several other tornadoes were reported Tuesday night. Damage was reported in several states, including Iowa, where at least two tornadoes have been confirmedunder the Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network.
A confirmed tornado in Iowa tore through farmland near Gilmore City, AccuWeather speak.
Tornadoes accompanied by hail also hit Arkansas near Bloomer, Charleston and Scranton, AccuWeather said. And a number of people were saved in Bossier City, Louisiana, after a hurricane toppled trees, as reported by the local media.
Farther north on Wednesday, a blizzard raged in the Northern Plains. “Commuting will be nearly impossible, and widespread power outages and damage to trees are expected.” weather service said. “Significant impacts on livestock are also possible.” More than a meter of snow was reported in Bismarck, North Dakota.
The North Dakota Capitol building, schools, government and interstate offices remained closed Wednesday.
Contributors: Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier Journal