Millions face tornado threat across US Midwest
More than 77 million people from the US Midwest to the southern Plains were under tornado warnings on Wednesday after several apparent twisters caused significant damage in parts of Illinois and Indiana.
Northern Illinois remains at the highest risk, with a “moderate” tornado threat affecting around 2 million people in cities south and east of Chicago, including Joliet, Peoria and Bloomington, News.Az reports, citing NBC News.
A marginal risk area stretches as far as Texas and Tennessee.
A tornado emergency was declared in Knox, Indiana, on Tuesday. The National Weather Service warned residents that the situation was life-threatening and urged them to seek shelter immediately.
The severe weather system also brought strong storms and heavy rainfall to several areas. In the Chicago region, powerful winds and hail the size of golf balls were reported, while flood warnings were issued along rivers in Illinois and Indiana.
More than 12,000 energy customers were without power across the Midwest and 23,000 across the Great Lakes region Wednesday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.
That there was significant but, so far unquantified, damage across northern Illinois and northwest Indiana, including to homes, other buildings and roads.
Kankakee County, south of Chicago, declared a state of emergency and said local officials and sheriff's deputies were carrying out search and rescue efforts, as well as damage assessments. There have been no confirmed reports of deaths so far.
News.Az
By Nijat Babayev
