CNN
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At least one person is dead and several others hospitalized after a series of brutal tornadoes tore through several states in the South and Midwest on Friday, destroying homes and reducing neighborhoods to scattered debris. while meteorologists warn that the danger will continue until the evening.
The death was reported in North Little Rock, Arkansas after a violent tornado tore through the area Friday, Madeline Roberts, a spokeswoman for Pulaski County, confirmed to CNN.
There are at least 50 hospitalized in the area but more are expected, Roberts said. More than 80,000 people were without power across the state Friday night, according to poweroutage.us.
Farther east, Wynne residents were trapped inside their homes Friday night after “significant damage” in the area, said Rebekah Magnus, with the state’s emergency management division. Footage from the area shows that the storm flattened entire blocks across the city, destroyed a local high school, destroyed buildings and left little that resembled the houses that were standing there a few hours ago.
The town was “cut half of the damage is from east to west,” Wynne Mayor Jennifer Hobbs told CNN Friday night. “We are still in triage mode,” the mayor added, explaining that crews are still working to determine the severity of the damage and any potential damage.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergencysaying that the state had “no resources left” to respond and recover from the storm and Gi-activated National Guard of the state.
The tornado that passed through Wynne prompted a tornado emergency in neighboring Tennessee, making the town of Covington “impassable, after downing trees and downing power lines, according to police. Covington is about 40 miles northeast of Memphis. At least five people were hospitalized at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Tipton after the twister, according to spokeswoman Kimberly Alexander.
The same fierce storm system also dumped large hail in northern Illinois, strong enough that it cracked and damaged windshields on cars, according to a Facebook post from the Fulton County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency.
The latest round of extreme weather comes a week after powerful storms hit the Southeast and killed at least 26 people. An overnight tornado also leveled nearly the entire community of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, where maximum winds of 170 mph were estimated.
The Storm Prediction Center has issued a Level 5 out of 5 “high risk” for severe weather – the highest level of risk when it comes to severe storms – for both regions. One region is from parts of eastern Arkansas, southwestern Tennessee and northern Mississippi while the other includes parts of southeastern Iowa, northwestern Illinois, and northeastern Missouri and Iowa City, Iowa.
Follow the storms here
The last time a Level 5 high risk was issued was on March 25, 2021, when strong storms and tornadoes killed at least six people and devastated communities in the Southeast.
Along with its series of twisters, Friday’s storm system is expected to drop heavy rain across parts of the South and Midwest Friday night that could lead to flooding and drop “very large hail,” the National Weather Service said.
“The danger remains high, especially in middle Tennessee, northern Alabama, northern Mississippi and northern Illinois,” CNN Meteorologist Gene Norman said. “We are very concerned about Nashville and Chicago. Whenever there are storms at night, it is more dangerous, and these storms move very fast, leaving people little time to go to safety when they hear about a warning.
“That’s why everyone in the threat zone should charge their cell phones and pay attention to weather alerts,” Norman added.
More than 27 million people are under tornado watch Friday night.
An extremely dangerous tornado watch is also in effect for northwest Alabama, northern Mississippi and west and central Tennessee, including the city of Nashville until 1 a.m. CDT, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Tornadoes that develop may have EF-2 or higher intensity, with damaging winds of more than 111 mph, the center said. And storms can include baseball-sized hail.
A tornado watch is also in effect for east-central Illinois, central Indiana and western Kentucky, including the cities of Indianapolis and Louisville, until 2 a.m. CDT, according to the forecast center. Those storms can include strong tornadoes, strong winds and up to golf ball-sized hail.
A tornado was reported near Ottumwa, Iowa, Friday afternoon, causing structural damage but no injuries were immediately reported, local emergency management officials said.
A possible tornado was seen Friday night passing by a local TV station camera in Solon, Iowa, blowing debris into the air.
“Our roof just came off,” KCRG Chief Meteorologist Joe Winters told viewers, referring to the building where the camera is mounted. A few seconds later, a roof from another building was seen blowing in the wind.
“That’s how quickly it can happen,” Winters said. “So when warnings are issued, you should take them seriously and go to a safe place immediately.”
A tornado watch is also in effect for Northern Illinois, Northwest Indiana, Southern Wisconsin and Lake Michigan until 10 pm CDT, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
Learn the difference between a tornado watch and tornado warning
At least three states have activated emergency plans because of the weather.
Missouri Governor Mike Parson said Friday he activated the Missouri State Emergency Operations Plan as parts of the state began to be hit by the storm.
“We want to ensure that all necessary state resources are available when severe disruption and damage affects our communities,” he said.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear too issued a state of emergency Friday, urging residents to shelter in place Friday night.
“This is the worst forecast I’ve seen as Governor,” he said in a statement. “I declared a state of emergency so we can prepare. We take this very seriously and we need you to take it seriously too. Please prepare. We will do everything we can to keep everyone safe.”
