About 26 million people are under tornado watches from Wisconsin to Oklahoma, according to forecasters. The National Weather Service (NWS) has warned that severe thunderstorms could hit north-west Oklahoma through western Missouri on Friday afternoon and evening.
The storm system is capable of producing large hail, roughly the size of a baseball, which can reach speeds of up to 107 mph (about 172 km/h) as it falls. The NWS advised residents in affected areas to stay indoors and away from windows during any severe weather episodes.
A rare “particularly dangerous situation” threat level was assigned to one tornado in Illinois and two in Wisconsin, CNN reported. Social media showed the aftermath of severe weather across the central US, including a video from Stewartville, Minnesota, of damaged homes, and photographs from Wisconsin’s Buffalo county sheriff’s office of a house with roof damage and debris.
Friday’s storms followed days of tornadoes, hail and flooding in the region. In Milwaukee, flash flooding engulfed a freeway, stranding drivers, while in Waukesha, Wisconsin, a man died after being struck by lightning. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, activating joint mobilisation of law enforcement, fire services, state agencies and emergency response groups.
