DETROIT (AP) – A day after a deadly twister tore through a small Oklahoma town, killing at least one person, a severe storm swept across the Midwest, bringing heavy rain, high winds and a curtain of tornadoes across the region.
Tornadoes were seen in parts of Michigan, Indiana and Ohio after dark Tuesday, and tornado watches remained in place in parts of Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri, according to the National Weather Service.
Forecasters warned that the storm could continue into the night, with the possibility of further twisters and large hail.
In southwestern Michigan, two tornadoes struck the city of Portage, near Kalamazoo. The city said in a news release that no serious injuries were reported, although the twister caused extensive damage to homes and commercial buildings, including a FedEx facility.
Officials said an estimated 50 people were trapped inside the facility at one point due to downed power lines. But FedEx spokeswoman Shannon Davis said late Tuesday that “all team members are safe and are safe.”
Meanwhile, entire homes at a nearby mobile home park were destroyed.
The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center cited more than a dozen reports of tornadoes across the central United States from Monday evening into early Tuesday. Eight of the twisters occurred in Oklahoma, and Kansas, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Tennessee all had at least one tornado.
The powerful storm comes amid a flurry of severe weather around the world, including the worst flooding in history in Brazil and a brutal heat wave in Asia.
A deadly tornado that touched down in Oklahoma Monday night struck Barnsdall, a town of 1,000 people about a 40-minute drive north of Tulsa. The National Weather Service warned Monday night that a “major, life-threatening tornado” was headed toward Barnsdall and the nearby town of Bartlesville.
It was the second tornado to hit Barnsdall in the past five weeks. The April 1 tornado, which had maximum wind speeds of 90 to 100 mph (145 to 161 kph), damaged homes and toppled trees and power poles.
Barnsdall Mayor Johnny Kelly said one person was killed and one person was missing after Monday's twister. Authorities began a secondary search for the missing man Tuesday morning.
“The toughest thing for me as mayor is that this is a small community,” Kelly said. “I know 75% to 80% of the people in this town about her.''
At least 30 to 40 homes in the Barnsdall area were damaged Monday night, according to a report from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
Aerial video showed well-built homes reduced to piles of rubble, and others with roofs ripped off and damaged walls still in place. The powerful twister threw vehicles, downed power lines and stripped limbs and bark from trees across the city. A 160-acre (65-hectare) wax manufacturing facility in the area was also severely damaged.
Kelly said first responders rescued about 25 people, including children, from the building and surrounding homes that were severely damaged and collapsed. Approximately six people were reportedly injured.
Barnsdall Nursing Home announced that its residents were evacuated after they were unable to stop a gas leak due to storm damage. It later posted online that none of the residents were injured and were taken to other facilities.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, who toured the twister's damage on Tuesday, said weather researchers had assessed it as a severe tornado with maximum wind speeds of 200 mph (322 kph). Stitt said he and legislative leaders agreed to set aside $45 million in this year's budget to help communities affected by the storm.
“Oklahomans are resilient,” Stitt said. “We're going to rebuild.”
At the Hampton Inn in Bartlesville, several shattered 2x4s were driven into the south side of the building. Chunks of insulation, twisted metal and other debris were scattered across the hotel's lawn, and cars in the parking lot suffered extensive damage, including broken windows.
Matthew Macedo, who was staying at the hotel, said he was directed to the hotel's laundry room to wait out the storm.
“When the impact happened, it was incredibly sudden,” he said.
The storm struck Oklahoma as areas such as Sulfur and Holdenville were still recovering from the tornado that killed four people and left power out to thousands late last month. Both the Plains and Midwest were hit by tornadoes this spring.
Oklahoma and Kansas were under high-risk weather warnings Monday. The last time such a warning was issued was March 31, 2023, when a major storm battered parts of the South and Midwest, including rural areas of Arkansas, Illinois, and Indiana.
This week has been rough across the United States. The eastern and southern United States is expected to bear the brunt of the severe weather through the rest of this week, including cities such as Indianapolis, Memphis, Nashville, St. Louis and Cincinnati. 21 million people live there. It should clear up by the weekend. ___ This story has been corrected to show that a FedEx spokesperson's comment was made late Tuesday, not Monday.
Murphy reported from Oklahoma City. Associated Press reporters from across the country contributed to this report, including Rio Yamat, Sarah Brumfield, Kathy McCormack, Beatrice Dupuis, Jim Salter, Heather Hollingsworth and Colleen Slevin.
Alexa St. John is a climate solutions reporter for The Associated Press. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Please contact ast.john@ap.org.
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