At least 14 tornadoes rip across Plains as extreme weather threatens 47 million Americans

Dan Gooding
·2 min read
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At least 14 tornadoes caused widespread damage across parts of Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas and Iowa this week with one twister reaching up to 100mph.

Severe weather was reported across New London, Dallas Center and Salem in southwest Iowa, while a tornado damaged homes in Overbrook, Kansas.

The extreme weather is not over just yet, the National Weather Service said, with millions from Texas up to Michigan facing alerts and warnings for storms on Thursday and Friday.

On Tuesday, an EF-1 tornado - the second-lowest level - was recorded touching down near Richland, Kansas at around 6am and lasted around 20 minutes.

Two people were injured when their RV flipped over during the twister, KCRG reported.

The National Weather Service reported thunderstorms, also, with wind gusts up to 61 mph at times.

In Iowa, a barn and other buildings were damaged, with a 7-mile-long tornado recorded near the small city of Minburn late morning.

Shane Boston, who owned the barn, told We Are Iowa that horses were inside it when the storm hit, saying he rushed home from work.

“I can see it from quite a ways away, and I could see what was missing as I came up [to the house]," Boston told the outlet. "I felt really, pretty blessed that we had what we had left and really no damage.”

Meanwhile, ping-pong-sized hail was reported just over the border in Bloomfield, Missouri.

Trees and power lines were reportedly knocked down around Kansas City.

In Smithville Lake, Missouri, a camper was blown over and the roof ripped off a building, with an 11-year-old boy and his parents who lived in the van sheltering in a campground bathroom.

“A family - mom, dad, son, dog and cat - living in a camper at Smithville Lake lost almost everything today when it was blown over in a likely tornado. No one was hurt, but they have a hard road ahead,” the Clay County Sheriff’s Department said on X.

The National Weather Service has asked those who experienced property damage or other effects of the storms to get in touch.

Teams are also assessing the damage, with other storms holding the potential to be designated as tornadoes once surveys are completed.

More severe weather is predicted across the Ohio Valley on Thursday, the NWS said, with more large hail and “a couple of tornadoes”.

Parts of Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana are at the centre of a severe weather alert as of Wednesday afternoon, with around 47 million people across those states and as far south as Texas and as far north as Michigan warned of storms.