Another round of thunderstorms headed toward the same region hit by severe weather that killed 32 people across the South and Midwest over the weekend.
Severe storms are possible Wednesday across the Great Lakes to the Gulf Coast, the National Weather Service said.
“Weather conditions in these areas may be life-threatening at times,” it said in a forecast discussion on Tuesday.
More than a dozen tornadoes were possible in Illinois and Iowa on Tuesday. According to the weather serviceHenry, Illinois, including a possible twister that reportedly tore off the roof of a gas station and blew into a brick building.
Storm surveys are usually conducted to determine if a tornado actually made landfall, and if so how many.
Weather Service Office in Lincoln, Illinois, A tornado warning A village 42 miles outside of Peoria, in an area north of Bryant. Reports of injuries and damage estimates were not available.
In Chicago, the fire department said It responded to at least three reports of roof damage after a “localized, but high wind storm” passed through the city. No injuries were reported, but trees were uprooted and power poles damaged.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport was under a severe thunderstorm warning on Tuesday, with 86 flights canceled and 404 delayed, according to the aviation watchdog. FlightAware.
In western Illinois, Moline, 165 miles west of Chicago, recorded gusts of 90 mph.
An estimated 42 million people were at risk of severe storms Tuesday, according to NBC News’ weather division. It grows to about 62 million people Wednesday as the storm system stretches from northern Michigan to northern Louisiana.
Weather service forecast Map Wednesday’s more intense weather moved eastward and extended into Monday. It now covers an area east of Dallas and extends northeast along a diagonal swath parallel to the Appalachian Mountains. It reaches Chicago and parts of New York state.
Cities likely to receive severe weather Wednesday include Chicago; Detroit; Indianapolis; Columbus, Ohio; and Memphis, Tennessee, according to the weather service.
“Possible storm risks include strong tornadoes, damaging winds, large hail and locally heavy rainfall and flooding,” the weather service said in an outlook statement Tuesday.
In Wyoming, the Dakotas and Minnesota, the same front was expected to produce blizzard conditions and snow in April — up to 2 feet in places — according to the weather service and NBC News Weather Division.
In the Dakotas, blizzard warnings covered much of both states late Tuesday. A semi trucking cattle near Sisseton, South Dakota, and the State Highway Patrol urged people to stay home unless travel is absolutely necessary.
Many state employees in South Dakota worked from home Tuesday, at the behest of Gov. Christie Noem, the weather forecaster said. Snow and wind make traveling to work sites difficult and dangerous. Some highways were closed at night as a precaution.
“Citizens should be prepared to stay at home if possible,” Nome said in a statement.
Parts of Custer County, South Dakota, reported 24 inches of snow in the past 36 hours, the weather service in Rapid City said. said Tuesday nightand Fall River County recorded 30 inches.
Forecasters saw snowfall rates of up to 2 inches per hour Tuesday night in the Red River Valley, which includes parts of North Dakota and Minnesota. Grand Forks, North Dakota said.
Experts say the U.S. and Southern Hemisphere are experiencing bad weather, with the cold fronts of Canadian and Pacific storms moving south and east and colliding with tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico.
But climate change will make extremes worse, resulting in colder cold fronts, stronger hurricanes and larger hail in the spring, and longer, hot streaks in the summer, they said.
In mid-March, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s spring outlook called for moderate to major flooding from Minneapolis to St. Louis, despite continued drought in the northern and central Plains.
“Climate change is driving both wetter and drier extremes,” NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad said in the outlook.
