Late Friday, emergency tornado warnings were issued across the Midwest as severe storms caused extensive damage to trees, homes, and power lines.
The central region of the United States has experienced days of intense storms recently. A tornado struck Hillsboro, Wisconsin on Tuesday, with wind speeds reaching 140 mph. Additionally, flash flooding hit Milwaukee on Wednesday.
This storm impacted over 50 million people, resulting in reported structural damage in various cities throughout Missouri, Illinois, and Minnesota.
“The National Weather Service confirmed at least 20 tornado sightings across multiple states. Lena, Illinois, experienced major damage, affecting both a high school and an elementary school. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries or fatalities,” the outlet noted.
On Saturday, there was video footage showing the Fox Weather Storm Tracker capturing the tornado in Rockton, Illinois from the ground:
Other clips revealed that tornadoes also touched down in Iowa, Wisconsin faced flooding, Michigan dealt with severe thunderstorms, and Kansas residents began clean-up efforts after the storms.
Forecasters indicated that more severe weather might be on the way for parts of the Southern Plains, Mississippi Valley, and Great Lakes later on Saturday.
According to the tracking site poweroutage.us, over 70,000 customers were without power in the Midwest and Great Lakes region as of Saturday morning, with the majority of outages in Illinois and Missouri.
At least one tornado was reported in Rochester, Minnesota, located about 90 miles south of Minneapolis. A resident described the storm as sounding “like a freight train.” The tornado severely damaged the house of his 89-year-old father, but thankfully, he survived.
Video footage showed the Fox Storm Tracker inside an Illinois tornado, capturing the moment debris rained down on roads and fields while tornado sirens blared in the background.
With more storms anticipated, the Weather Channel provided safety tips for those in potential tornado paths. They advised individuals to identify where they would evacuate ahead of time and suggested that if someone is at home, they should move to an interior room without windows and take cover under sturdy objects for protection.
If shelter isn’t an option, they recommend lying down in ditches, ravines, or culverts and using hands to shield heads until the storm has passed.
