Shutterstock
Tornadoes tore through the central US and upper Midwest on Wednesday causing damage, injuries, and 1 death, while there are at least 3 separate fronts of severe weather forecast by the NWS for the nation’s midsection Thursday.
At least two powerful tornadoes were confirmed in Minnesota on Wednesday, damaging farms and farmhouses, vehicles and leaving one person dead and at least one other injured in western Minnesota, the Associated Press reported.
In the case of the one fatality, the man was working in his shop and Ashby, Minnesota, when it collapsed on him, The Wadena Pioneer Journal reported.
Numerous trees were down, as well as a number of homes and buildings were destroyed. A preliminary estimate of the tornado is an EF-3 to an EF-5. An EF-3 category tornado has sustained winds between 136-165 mph.
According to reports, the tornado had “multiple touchdowns” and stayed on the ground for roughly 20 minutes, perhaps 30 minutes.
Trained weather spotters also reported tornadoes and other parts of the central US on Wednesday, including Colorado, parts of Nebraska causing damage, as well as parts of Illinois, a staffer from the National Weather Service told the AP.
Two storm chasers where the first call in reports to the National Weather Service when a long-lived tornado touched down near Dalton and Ashby, Minnesota on Wednesday. They captured the massive funnel cloud on video, which can be seen on Fox9. At least four residents were destroyed, as well as crops.
Following a day of multiple tornadoes in the central US, Thursday could bring more of the same according to the latest forecast by the National Weather Service (NWS) which has issued warnings for 3 separate areas of strong thunderstorms with heavy rain that could bring severe weather and potential flash flooding to parts of the central US.
The first area of strong thunderstorms, potential flash flooding, and severe weather is over portions of eastern Oklahoma, western Arkansas, southeastern Kansas, and southwest Missouri.
The second area expected to see strong thunderstorms with the potential of severe weather and flash flooding is over in the eastern half of Iowa, the northern half of Illinois, into the southeastern corner of Minnesota, and over the southern half of Wisconsin.
The third area of concern brings the potential for strong thunderstorms and severe weather, but no flash flood warnings is over western Nebraska extending into parts of southeastern Wyoming, northeastern Colorado, and northwestern Kansas.
The most important thing anyone living in areas that can be affected by severe weather is to begin getting prepared now.
It’s important to develop a family emergency plan that includes an evacuation plan and a designated safe space. Preferably, a basement or underground shelter, or the next best thing is an interior room with no windows. This is often a bathroom.
It’s also vital to have a weather radio that is charged by a hand crank or is battery-powered in case the power goes out.
Speaking of power outages, and the destruction that can come from tornadoes… Amid the coronavirus pandemic, a lot of people are now working from home. If you have important data stored on devices at home, the damage from a tornado can cause you to lose all your data instantly.
Now’s the time to start thinking about cloud data security programs that can protect and backup your crucial information.
To get additional information about how to be prepared for severe weather, visit these US government websites for articles on preparedness at:
