Severe storms caused damage in some parts of the central United States on Tuesday and sparked tornadoes in Kansas and Iowa, including one that injured two people in the Midwest, UNN reports, citing CBS News.
Details
According to the US National Weather Service, the EF-1 tornado began shortly after 6 a.m. local time near the city of Richland in northeastern Kansas. It reached speeds of up to 100 miles per hour (160.9 km per hour) and stayed on the ground for about 20 minutes, the service said.
Two people were injured when their van overturned during the tornado. There were no details about the injuries. Also in the neighboring town of Overbrook, buildings and trees were damaged.
In central Iowa, a barn was demolished and other buildings damaged after a tornado struck rural Dallas County. The weather service also reported ping-pong ball-sized hail in Bloomfield, north of the Missouri line. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
According to the Des Moines County Sheriff's Office, at least two homes sustained "substantial damage" in the communities of Yarmouth and Mediapolis in eastern Iowa, but there were no injuries.
The National Weather Service reported that the central part of the United States would be under the threat of severe weather on Tuesday. Thunderstorms were expected in parts of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, and northwestern Illinois, possibly with heavy hail and damaging winds. According to the service, isolated storms were also possible in the Mid-South.
In Missouri, American Eagle Flight 3661, bound for Chicago, returned to Kansas City International Airport shortly before 6 a.m., shortly after takeoff, due to a possible lightning strike, American Airlines spokeswoman Gianna Urgo said in an email. Maintenance workers were inspecting the plane for damage. Urgo later said that passengers were transferred to other flights.
According to the Clay County Sheriff's Department, a camper was overturned and the roof was ripped off a building when a severe storm hit the area around Lake Smithville in western Missouri. Officials said the 11-year-old boy and his parents were living in the camper and were in the bathroom at the campground. "They and their pets are safe, but they lost almost everything else," the Clay County Sheriff's Department said.
In Iowa, the Sioux County Sheriff's Office reported that "a severe storm moved quickly and spawned many small tornadoes." Photos show backyard playgrounds destroyed by downed trees. Downed trees and power lines were reported in several communities near Kansas City.
CBS Chicago reported that a severe storm threat was in place for the area on Tuesday evening, with potential for damaging winds, large hail and tornadoes. The tornado was supposed to subside at 22:00 local time for LaSalle and DeKalb counties, west of Chicago, as well as for counties further west in Illinois, and in south-central and southwestern Wisconsin. Rockford, Dixon, Peoria, and Quincy in Illinois, and Janesville and Madison in Wisconsin were affected.
Heavy rain forced Major League Baseball to postpone Tuesday night's game between the Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago. It will now take place on Wednesday as part of a doubleheader.
According to the forecast, more active storms will simply move further east and south.