Tornado touches down in Wisconsin as strong storms that ripped across central U.S. head east
Severe thunderstorms rolled across the central U.S. on Monday, producing damaging winds, large hailstones and at least one tornado. And the system is forecast to bring the same threats to more than 50 million Americans from Texas to New York on Tuesday.
According to the National Weather Service, a confirmed tornado touched down near Augusta, Wis., southeast of Eau Claire, on Monday night. There were no immediate reports of injuries, and the weather service said that it was sending crews to assess damage.
Tornado watches and warnings had been issued for parts of Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin as a line of strong thunderstorms moved through the area.
The weather service's Storm Prediction Center had put the risk of severe storms in the Twin Cities area at a level 4 out of 5, with tornadoes, hail and damaging winds likely.
Large hail was seen across parts of Minnesota, and at least one tornado was reported, but the state was largely spared.
The storms were part of a 'multiday outbreak' of severe weather that could affect tens of millions of Americans from the southern Plains to the Northeast.
According to the NWS Weather Prediction Center, heavy to excessive rainfall was forecast for parts of northern Texas into the Ozarks today and Wednesday.
'Locally catastrophic flooding will be possible across portions of southwest Oklahoma,' the forecast said. 'Scattered severe thunderstorms are possible from the lower Great Lakes to the southern High Plains this afternoon and evening.'
More tornado watches and warnings were issued early Tuesday, this time in northern Texas, northeast Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas. The alerts were set to expire by midmorning.
Meanwhile, portions of the Ohio Valley and Northeast were also at risk of large hailstones, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes on Tuesday as the system that pummeled the central U.S. shifts east. Among the cities that could see serious impacts: Buffalo, N.Y., Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit and Pittsburgh.
On Wednesday, a second system capable of producing severe weather will enter the Plains, with millions of people from northern Texas to southern Missouri bracing for large hailstones, damaging winds and tornadoes.
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