DETROIT (AP) – Severe storms pounded the Midwest early Wednesday, a day after two tornadoes tore through a Michigan city and destroyed homes and commercial buildings, including a FedEx facility.
Tornadoes were first spotted after dark Tuesday in parts of Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, and tornado watches also remained in place in parts of Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri, the National Weather Service said.The day after the storm Deadly twister hits Oklahoma town.
As the storm raged before dawn Wednesday, the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh warned that a tornado in northeastern Ohio could roll into Pennsylvania. Tornado warnings were also issued for parts of West Virginia.
Schools in Hancock County, West Virginia, closed Wednesday due to “widespread overnight weather issues” in the county. News outlets reported building damage and power outages.
Hours earlier, in southwestern Michigan, two tornadoes ripped through the city of Portage, near Kalamazoo, on Tuesday night, destroying homes, commercial buildings and a FedEx facility.
No serious injuries were immediately reported, but city officials said in a news release that the twister left more than 20,000 people without power. Most areas are expected to be without power until late Wednesday, city officials said.
At one point, about 50 people were trapped inside the FedEx facility because power lines were down. But company spokeswoman Shannon Davis said late Tuesday that “all team members are safe and sound.”
More than 30,000 customers were without power in Michigan early Wednesday, and more than 10,000 more were without power in Ohio, according to PowerOutage.us.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency in four counties.
“My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by tonight's severe weather in Southwest Michigan,” Whitmer said on social media. “State and local emergency teams are on the ground and working together to assist Michiganders.”
Tuesday's storm came a day after parts of the central United States were battered by heavy rain, strong winds, hail and twisters.both the plains and the midwest This spring, we were hit by a tornado..
It's been a rough week all over the United States. The Midwest and South, which is home to more than 21 million people and includes cities such as Indianapolis, Memphis, Nashville, St. Louis and Cincinnati, is expected to bear the brunt of the severe weather through the rest of the week. It should clear up by the weekend.
A deadly twister struck Barnsdall, a town of 1,000 people, in Oklahoma on Monday night. At least one person was killed and another is missing. Dozens of homes were destroyed.
Aerial video showed houses reduced to piles of rubble and others with their roofs ripped off. The twister threw vehicles across town, downed power lines and stripped tree branches and bark. A 160-acre (65-hectare) wax manufacturing facility in the area was also severely damaged.
it was The second tornado Barnsdall will recover in five weeks. The April 1 storm with maximum wind speeds of 90 to 100 mph (145 to 161 kph) caused damage to homes and downed trees and utility poles.
Several shattered two-by-fours were driven into the Hampton Inn in nearby Bartlesville. Chunks of insulation, twisted metal and other debris were scattered across the lawn, and cars in the parking lot suffered extensive damage, with windows blown out.
Hotel guest Matthew Macedo said he was directed to the laundry room to wait out the storm.
“When the impact happened, it was incredibly sudden,” he said.
Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, who inspected the twister's damage on Tuesday, said weather researchers had assessed the twister as a severe tornado, reaching speeds of 200 miles per hour (322 kilometers per hour). Stitt said he and legislative leaders agreed to set aside $45 million in this year's budget to help communities affected by the storm.
Includes areas of Oklahoma sulfur and holden buildingis still recovering from the tornado that killed four people and left power out to thousands late last month.
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Murphy reported from Oklahoma City. Associated Press reporters from around the country contributed to this report, including Rio Yamat, Heather Hollingsworth, Colleen Slevin, Jim Salter, Kathy McCormack, Sarah Brumfield and Beatrice Dupuis. Contributed.
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