Central US Braces for More Severe Weather, South Continues to Sizzle
NWS officials say unsettled conditions will bring heavy rains, severe thunderstorms and flooding from Texas Panhandle to west-central Kansas, threat will also stretch into Nebraska, Iowa, northern Illinois and central Indiana
U.S. forecasters are warning of the risk of more severe storms across the central part of the country Tuesday, including the possibility of tornadoes in areas that saw several spawn there Monday night. The National Weather Service said as many as 53 tornadoes may have touched down overnight, killing one person and injuring some 90 others. Storm reports posted online by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center said 14 suspected tornadoes touched down in Indiana, 11 in Colorado and nine in Ohio. Six were reported in Iowa, five in Nebraska, four in Illinois and three in Minnesota, with one in Idaho. The storms tore roofs off homes, toppled trees, downed power lines and created so much debris that cleanup crews had to use a snowplow to clear one highway in Ohio. The central U.S. has been dealing with severe thunderstorms and tornadoes since last week with storms blamed for deaths in several states, including Missouri, Oklahoma, Iowa and Indiana. As the stormy weather plagued the central U.S., several cities in the South have seen record-shattering high temperatures. Over the weekend, Augusta, Georgia, tied a 141-year-old record high, as the temperature soared to 98 degrees Fahrenheit. Savannah, Georgia, tied the record for the earliest occurrence of triple-digit heat in the city, and Charleston, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina, reached 100 for the first time ever in May. Meteorologists predict the scorching trend will continue, and high temperature records will be set in cities from Louisiana to Virginia. By contrast, instead of sunshine and warmth, California got hit by a rare late May snowstorm, bringing record low temperatures. In the mountains of northern and southern California, surprise snowfalls have extended the ski season. Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort announced plans to to stay open into August.