Potential US tornado outbreak - Sunday 17th November

[WillinGlossop]

Peoria..... Hail the size of golf balls... Lightening 50 metres away.... Tornado that formed 100 metres from us.... Ouch....British & irish cooking bbq afterwards and people looking at us like what are you doing.... Bad weather? No british weather.....were used to it.... Sort of....

[Coast]

Looks like it was a big one and not in an area that normally gets tornadoes:

 

US tornadoes: 'Serious storm system' hits Midwest

 

Powerful tornadoes have swept through the US Midwest, destroying buildings and overturning vehicles in the states of Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. At least five people were killed and it is feared that several hundred people may have been injured in the fast-moving storms. The rapid-moving storm - with winds of up to 111km/h (68mph) - is continuing its way east. November is ordinarily one of the quietest months in the tornado calendar, meaning these storms are unusually destructive for this time of year, the BBC's Nick 

 

'War zone'

 

All the fatalities were reported in Illinois, which was the hardest hit state. One person died in the town of Washington, Melanie Arnold of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency. She provided no further details. Two further people died in southern Massac County, while an elderly man and his sister were killed when a tornado struck their farm house in the village of New Minden. Eyewitnesses described how large parts of Washington had been levelled by the tornadoes. Illinois officials are describing the situation as "dangerous and volatile".

 

Dozens of people are reported to have been injured by the tornadoes

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The fast-moving storm levelled houses and tossed cars around like toys.

 

A number of trees were uprooted, damaging power lines.

 

Fears that the storm could hit Chicago forced the evacuation of American football fans from the city's stadium.

 

Karen Harris, a food truck operator in Washington, told the BBC she saw a "car completely mangled, the houses gone". "Telephone wires [are] down everywhere, live wires are still down. I'm pretty traumatised from what I saw. "I actually saw a vehicle in the middle of the road, their left signal light turned on, like they were getting ready to turn, all the windows were out of it, blood was in the back seat. "Pandemonium. It looks like a war zone," Ms Harris added.

 

Laura Nightengale, a reporter with the Journal Star newspaper in Peoria, Illinois, witnessed the approach of a tornado from inside a house in the town. "From the window I saw this huge tornado, tonnes of debris flying through the air. "I took shelter in the basement. The area that was hit, it's just absolutely devastated - entire blocks where homes stood this morning right now are just rubble," Ms Nightengale told the BBC.

 

The National Weather Service warned of a "particularly dangerous situation" for parts of the central US. "Several rapidly moving, intense tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, large hail events and damaging winds are expected in these watch areas," the service said. Illinois Governor Pat Quinn warned residents to "pay attention to all weather alerts and stay home and inside if possible".

American football fans were evacuated from a stadium in the centre of Chicago as one tornado moved through the city suburbs.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24982072

 

[Coast]

http://youtu.be/w5eKFM06Htw

 

Gifford Illinois:

 

[Coast]

 

At Least 5 Killed as Deadly Storms Strike US Midwest

 

A destructive wave of tornadoes and heavy thunderstorms struck the Midwestern U.S. Sunday, killing at least five people. All of the fatalities occurred in Illinois, which suffered the worst impact of the storms.

 

One of the fatalities occurred in the small town of Washington, where entire neighborhoods were destroyed by a fast-moving tornado. The Illinois National Guard has dispatched a 10-person crew to assist with search and recovery efforts. The National Weather Service described the tornado that struck the town as “large and extremely dangerousâ€.

 

Thirty-one people injured by the storm that hit Washington were being treated at St. Francis Medical Center, one of the main hospitals in nearby Peoria, according to the hospital spokeswoman. Eight had traumatic injuries.

 

The other fatalities included an elderly brother and sister whose home was destroyed when a tornado struck the southern community of New Minden.

 

The fast-moving storms caused hundreds of flights at Chicago's two airports, O'Hare International and Midway, to be delayed, and even forced a two-hour delay of a National Football League game between the Chicago Bears and visiting Baltimore Ravens.

 

The storm system also crossed over the neighboring states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio, leaving tens of thousands without power.

 

 

 

Video here: http://www.voanews.com/content/deadly-destructive-storms-strike-us-midwest/1792077.html