A tornado ripped through Mineral Wells, Texas, destroying part of the town and injuring several people on Tuesday night, the sixth day since the severe storm that has terrorized the Midwest and continues to cause damage in the South.
The tornado struck Mineral Wells, about 130 miles west of Dallas, around 5 p.m. Tuesday evening, city officials said. Mineral Wells Fire Chief Ryan Dunn said two people were taken to the hospital and several others were treated for minor injuries at the scene, but there were no reports of any deaths or missing persons. The extent of the injuries for the two people taken to the hospital is unknown.
Several homes and large areas of industrial areas were damaged, but a full investigation should be carried out in the morning, officials said. Mineral Wells Police Chief Tim Dennison said a curfew will be in effect at 10 p.m. Tuesday night to prevent people from entering the affected areas.
He said people were already looking for ways to help, adding that a local high school was being used as a reunion center and the Red Cross was helping provide services.
“There’s a lot of hope out there and an outpouring of support, not just from the first responders but from the community,” Dennison said.
On Tuesday afternoon, the widespread storm dumped tennis-sized or baseball-sized hail in Springfield, Missouri, and severe storms pounded the area, damaging vehicles and toppling utility poles. Springfield emergency management spokeswoman Nicolette Zangara told CNN affiliate KOLR it was a “brutal morning” with two hailstorms and reports of widespread damage still being investigated.
Storm chaser Matt Jones was in his car when the hail, bigger than a golf ball, became so intense that his windshield cracked several times. “This is insane, oh my god, I have to get out of here,” Jones yelled.
A massive hailstorm hits Springfield, Missouri on Tuesday, April 28, breaking windshields.
Video from Springfield-Branson National Airport showed crews covering damaged vehicles with tarps as wind-driven hail battered the airport. Airport officials said aid groups distributed tarpaulins within hours of recovery efforts beginning.
A Level 3/5 severe thunderstorm threat remains Tuesday night for much of Arkansas and parts of southern Missouri, northeastern Texas, northern Louisiana, and central and northern Mississippi. Damaging winds, large hail and several tornadoes threatened millions of people Tuesday across a wide area from the Lower Mississippi Valley to the Tennessee Valley.
On Monday night, a tornado passed through several towns in Clinton County, Illinois, including Germantown and Carlisle. The storm damaged homes, downed trees and power lines and closed roads, said Clinton County Emergency Management Director Timothy Schroeper. The American Red Cross was responding to assist the evacuees. No injuries or deaths were reported, and the damage investigation is expected to continue Tuesday.
Just before 11 p.m. PT, the National Weather Service in Little Rock, Arkansas issued a tornado warning for especially dangerous conditions as a destructive tornado was observed moving through areas around Hanover and Stone Counties. The tornado appeared to remain on the ground in Arkansas for about 10 miles, with debris flying high into the air and wrapping around the storm’s backside.
The Stone County Sheriff’s Office reported damage to homes and vehicles, downed power lines and fallen trees blocking roads as emergency crews responded throughout the area overnight. No injuries or deaths were reported.
Some areas of Michigan and Wisconsin suffered damage from a weather phenomenon called a wake cyclone. A wake cyclone is a relatively small weather system that contains a strong wind train. Low pressure systems form after showers and thunderstorms, like what happened Monday morning after rain moved through the Upper Midwest.
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A 39-year-old man was killed when a tree fell in high winds Monday night in Kent County in western Michigan, the sheriff’s office announced in a news release. The man’s friend told authorities that the man alerted him to the falling tree, an action that saved his life, according to the release.
Kent County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Scott Dietrich said trees and power lines were downed in the northern part of the county, but there were no other injuries.
Trees also fell in Calhoun County in south-central Michigan, damaging some buildings and trailers, but there were no reports of injuries, dispatch chief Michael Armitage said.
Some of these strong winds also caused a tree to fall on Carson Kellogg’s home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was sitting on the couch when he heard a loud crack.
On Monday, April 27th, a huge tree fell on my home in Milwaukee.
“I ran away from the couch because I thought I was going to get hit. I was really upset,” he told CNN.
Last Thursday, a violent tornado struck Enid, Oklahoma, creating a rare tornado emergency, causing EF4 damage in parts of the city and flattening some areas.
The Enid tornado had wind speeds estimated at 170 to 175 mph, making it the strongest in the United States since June 2025. At least 10 people were injured and about 40 homes were damaged, but authorities said no deaths were reported.
Deadly tornadoes struck North Texas on Saturday, including an EF2 tornado near Runaway Bay, about 130 miles northwest of Dallas. At least two people were killed, homes and infrastructure damaged, and dozens of residents evacuated, adding to the damage caused by a multi-day outbreak of severe weather.
