Storm-weary central US braces for one more day of possibly severe weather after tornado outbreak

By Meteorologists Dakota Smith, Briana Waxman, Allison Chinchar and CNN’s Taylor Romine, CNN

(CNN) — Multiple destructive twisters struck the central US on Friday afternoon during a tornado outbreak that capped a weeklong stretch of severe storms in the region. A lower severe weather threat remains possible Saturday as the same cold front pushes east.

The multistate storms exploded to life and wasted no time showing what they were capable of. At least two tornadoes tracked through the greater Rochester, Minnesota, area, and some were even caught on traffic cameras. No injuries were reported in Rochester’s Olmsted County, but there was widespread damage, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.

Rows of homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed, with numerous roofs or entire stories missing, according to aerial video captured by CNN affiliate KARE.

Marion, Minnesota, was one of the hardest-hit areas, reporting damage to approximately 30 homes, with about 10 other homes damaged in other parts of the county, the post said. One video showed debris and tree branches strewn across front yards, with some homes having damaged roofs.

Marathon County in central Wisconsin reported “significant damage” following a tornado that passed through Friday afternoon, county spokesperson Sarah Severson told CNN. About 75 homes were damaged in the small town of Ringle, and search-and-rescue teams helped people trapped in their basements, Ringle Fire Chief Chris Kielman told CNN affiliate WSAW. Some homes were “demolished,” but there have been no deaths or injuries, the chief said.

Extensive structural damage has also been reported in Lena, Illinois, where drone footage shows homes with their roofs ripped, exposing scattered possessions inside. No deaths or injuries have been reported, but many homes and businesses were “lost,” Stephenson County Board Chairman Scott Helms told CNN late Friday.

“As I drove around last night, I just shook my head – I couldn’t believe that we didn’t have one injury,” Stephenson County Sheriff Steve Stovall said during a news conference Saturday morning.

Emergency crews worked through the night – pausing briefly as a second, less damaging storm hit the area – to clear a path through the destruction of fallen trees, downed wires and debris, the sheriff said.

In Missouri, a tornado passed through Belton, causing widespread damage across the city, Police Chief Scott Lyons said during a news conference. Several minor injuries were reported, but preparations the city made before the storm hit helped prepare people, he said.

Widespread damaging wind gusts and flooding rainfall continued to threaten areas already battered by a multiday onslaught of twisters, massive hail and historic flooding.

At least two dozen tornadoes and over 120 reports of hail were reported during the very busy 24-hour stretch of severe weather between Friday and Saturday morning.

The National Weather Service announced it would be sending two survey teams to survey damage in west-central Wisconsin and southeast Minnesota on Saturday.

Video credit: Aaron Rigsby/CorClips

Ingredients align for a severe storm outbreak

A fresh surge of jet stream energy tapped into Gulf moisture Friday afternoon, setting the stage for the tornado outbreak in the central US.

A Level 4 of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms was in place from northwest Oklahoma to western Missouri, including Kansas City and Wichita, Kansas. Giant hail and destructive wind gusts over 80 mph were the biggest threats in this area.

Powerful storms were also expected in a Level 3 of 5 risk area that extended as far north and east as eastern Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois, including St. Louis, Chicago and Madison, Wisconsin.

The storms also threatened to produce flash flooding, including in already-soaked Chicago and Milwaukee, where there have been dozens of water rescues in recent days.

Widespread damaging gusts of 60 mph to 90 mph were forecast as the thunderstorms raced east. Power was out for more than 50,000 homes and businesses in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Oklahoma Saturday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.

This system could produce one final burst of severe storms with a threat of strong winds Saturday in the Ohio Valley and Central Appalachians, bringing an end to the stormy week.

Saturday’s threat is lower than Friday’s, but hail and isolated tornadoes remain possible.

There is also a smaller threat for severe storms in central Texas Saturday afternoon and into the evening.

The storm-weary central US will finally get a breather starting Sunday as a welcome change in weather pattern ushers in cooler temperatures.

Great Lakes brace for more flooding

Friday’s storms arrived as parts of the Great Lakes dealt with significant flooding after repeated rounds of rain this week. The region is coming off one of its wettest starts to spring on record, combined with snowmelt from a very active winter.

Rivers in Michigan and Wisconsin have already hit major or record flood levels in over 20 locations.

The Wolf River in Wisconsin was nearly a foot above its record flood stage on Friday morning, a level that puts many streets in the village of Shiocton under as much as a foot of water. Shiocton officials said “a majority of the streets in the village limits are impassable” as of Friday morning and urged people to stay out after ordering evacuations on Wednesday.

Residents in low-lying areas of neighboring Waupaca County have also been advised to evacuate due to the rising floodwaters.

In Rock County, Wisconsin, a train conductor had to be rescued after flooding caused a train derailment, with train cars carrying grain and corn going off the tracks, according to Janesville City Manager Kevin Lahner. Janesville Fire and Police also deployed crews to evacuate 11 people from partially flooded properties in the city, Lahner said during a news conference Saturday morning.

In Michigan, officials have been closely monitoring several dams under stress from high water.

A long stretch of the Muskegon River remained in major flood on Friday morning, with some locations nearing a crest while others were still rising. The flooding forced mandatory evacuations for “anyone remaining in the floodplain below Croton Dam” in Newaygo County, the county’s emergency services said.

In Evart, Michigan, the river was slowly receding Friday evening after reaching a record-setting crest and forcing water rescues, according to the Evart Fire Department.

The Cheboygan County Sheriff’s Office reported flooding and washed out roads across the county on Friday, saying, “nearly every waterway in the county have overflowed beyond their banks, swallowing docks, roads, yards, and in far too many cases, homes.”

In Antrim County, Michigan, officials advised residents and businesses downstream of the Bellaire Dam to prepare for possible evacuation. Water levels were stable and trending down Friday afternoon after rising to within 12 inches of the top of the dam Tuesday.

A flash flood watch was in effect through Saturday morning for the potential failure of the Hesperia Dam in west-central Michigan. Water levels were trending down, the Hesperia Area Fire Department said early Friday morning, but noted residents downstream should “remain alert and have an evacuation plan in place should conditions change.”

CNN’s Kate S. Petersen, Rebekah Riess and Travis Nichols contributed to this report.

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