Severe weather of storms and tornadoes in Midwest US, damaging dozens of houses and causing widespread power outages across the region
by Victoria Heath
Storms and tornadoes hit parts of the US Midwest on Sunday – with reports of multiple tornadoes and severe storms in central Indiana and Arkansas – killing 3 people and damaging dozens of homes as adverse weather is forecasted across parts of central US.
Around 500,000 utility customers have faced power outages due to the weather, according to outage tracking website PowerOutage.us.
One death has been confirmed by emergency officials in the Martin Country area of Indiana. In the state, emergency shelters have been set up for individuals facing damaged or entirely destroyed houses.
Severe thunderstorms are now forecast across parts of central US until 28 June. From 27 June, the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center has released a warning of an enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms across parts of southern Kansas, northern Oklahoma, far northwestern Arkansas and far southwestern Missouri. According to the warning, severe weather will contribute to transport disruptions as floodwaters may cause rail networks or roadways impossible to cross.
In an interview with PBS, Cameron Woolf, Emergency Management Director, said: ‘Damage is random, it’s kind of widespread’. According to Woolf, damage was mostly in the countryside.
In northern Johnson County, several neighbourhoods and homes were damaged or destroyed, said John County Sheriff, Duane E. Burgess.
Two people were killed after a tree fell on a home in Carlisle, Arkansas, after severe storms on Sunday, confirmed by the Lonoke County Sheriff’s Office.
Due to a front moving eastward from the Midwest, heavy rain is expected in the eastern US on Monday, and a risk of severe weather in the mid-Atlantic, the NWS said.
This severe weather comes after twelve tornadoes across four states were recorded overnight last month. Tornadoes hit Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota and Nebraska. Up to 80 mph winds were recorded in parts of the Midwest, damaging trees and structures, including the roof of a 130-year-old church.
