Localized outbreaks of tornadoes are occurring across the Midwest Sunday night. Nearly 30 reports of tornadoes have been logged by the Storm Prediction Center as a cluster of supercell thunderstorms tracks eastward into the Ohio Valley.
This comes on the heels of another tornado that destroyed buildings and caused widespread destruction across the region just four days earlier. Last week’s storm also turned deadly as repeated severe weather conditions hit the central United States, causing multiple deaths in multiple states.
At least two people were killed Sunday in rural Jefferson County, Illinois, about 90 miles southeast of St. Louis, County Sheriff Jeff Bullard said.
Both victims died in separate mobile homes destroyed about two to three miles apart, Bullard said.
A third home was completely destroyed and five other people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Bullard said.
At least 20 homes in the county were damaged by the storm, said Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator Keith Hartenstein. Trees and power lines were downed, leaving some residents without electricity.
The tornado also struck Gibson County, Indiana, where several homes were “completely destroyed,” said Bruce Vanoven, the county’s sheriff. The storm caused damage to multiple communities in the area before moving east.
No injuries were reported as of Sunday night. Van Hoeven urged residents to stay home while crews worked on the site, warning that downed power lines and debris would be difficult to see after dark.
Sunday’s storm developed along the frontal boundary left by the morning’s thunderstorms. As heat and moisture returned in the afternoon, the atmosphere quickly charged and the thunderstorm evolved into a rotating supercell that could produce tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds.
Parts of the Central Plains, mid-Mississippi Valley and parts of the Ohio Valley are under flood risk level 3/4, with heavy rain posing an additional threat Sunday night into Monday. Repeated storms over the past two weeks have caused river levels to rise, making these areas prone to flash flooding.
The same storm system is expected to move into the mid-Atlantic and Appalachian regions on Monday, bringing the risk of severe Level 2/5 thunderstorms. The main threat Monday will be damage from gusty winds, but a tornado or two is not out of the question.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
