Storm system that killed 5 people in Missouri threatens 50 million Americans with severe weather

By Nouran Salahieh, Holly Yan, Christina Maxouris, Haley Brink and Andi Babineau, CNN

A destructive storm system that spawned at least 11 tornado reports and killed five people in Missouri now threatens millions more from Texas to New York with damaging winds, large hail and more potential twisters.

At least five people were killed when a possible tornado struck Bollinger County, Missouri, Sheriff Casey Graham said Wednesday.

Another five people were reported injured, said Missouri State Highway Patrol Col. Eric Olson. At least 87 structures were damaged — 12 of which were totally destroyed, Olson said.

Authorities were still involved in search and rescue efforts, a highway patrol official said.

“When you look at the devastation of this, it’s going to be weeks among months to be able to recover,” Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said in a news conference Wednesday. “It’s a long journey ahead for the people that live here.”

The damage in Bollinger County appears to be from a high-end EF-2 tornado, the National Weather Service said, adding details may change as they receive more information.

The same storm system that battered parts of Missouri, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan continued to threaten more than 50 million people from Texas to New York Wednesday evening.

At least nine tornadoes were reported Tuesday, including two in Iowa and seven in Illinois — where several buildings were damaged in the town of Colona and multiple semi-trucks were toppled over along the I-88.

More than 170 hail reports also emerged from Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Michigan on Tuesday. Davenport, Iowa, was pummeled with 4-inch hail — larger than a softball — while in Oswego, Illinois, baseball-sized hail plummeted from the sky.

The risks on Wednesday

An enhanced risk — Level 3 out of 5 — of severe storms remained in place Wednesday evening from northwestern Tennessee to north Ohio, including Columbus, Nashville, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Louisville.

A Level 3 enhanced risk means multiple persistent and widespread severe storms are possible.

And while tornado watches were no longer active, at the peak of the storm earlier in the day, there were more than 20 million people under tornado watches that extended more than 800 miles, from eastern Arkansas to southeastern Michigan.

This latest round of severe weather comes just days after parts of the South and Midwestt were ravaged by violent storms and tornadoes that left 32 people dead.

Blizzard conditions engulf parts of the Northern Plains

Meanwhile, winter storms plagued the Northern Plains Wednesday, a day after “blizzard conditions” led to the shutdown of more than 100 miles of Interstate 90.

Widespread heavy snow has fallen across the Rockies and is expected to continue over the Northern Plains, which have been seeing snowfall for several hours.

“Blizzard warnings are in effect for parts of the Dakotas where snow showers and strong winds will cause blowing snow and reduced visibility, which will make travel dangerous,” the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center said Wednesday afternoon.

Parts of eastern North Dakota and northern Minnesota will see several inches worth of snow Wednesday, the center added.

The North Dakota Department of Transportation urged drivers to stay off the roads, warning conditions are too dangerous even for emergency crews.

“If you don’t need to drive, stay off the roads. It’s dangerous for you and emergency crews. If you’re stranded, crews may not be able to reach you,” the transportation department tweeted.

Meanwhile, sleet and freezing rain will impact parts of the Upper Great Lakes and New England, the prediction center said.

“Winter Weather Advisories are in effect for parts of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont through early Thursday morning,” the center added, warning of possible power outages and difficult travel conditions.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

CNN meteorologists Robert Shackelford, Dave Hennen and Mike Saenz and CNN’s Caroll Alvarado and Madison Richardson contributed to this report.