National Weather Service issues tornado watching for more than 24 million people

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a tornado watch to 24 million people in seven states after 328 twisters were reported in the US in 12 days.

Residents in parts of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland have issued a watch that is valid until 8 p.m. Wednesday evening, according to CNN.

The watch affects almost 12 million people, more than 3,000 schools and more than 200 hospitals.

Predictors said that residents in the affected areas are likely to see hail that can reach the size of apples and that people can see gusts of wind up to 70 mph.

On Tuesday, the US exceeded its record of 11 consecutive days with at least eight tornadoes on each of those days, according to Patrick Marsh, meteorologist warning coordinator for the federal Storm Prediction Center. The previous 11-day strip of at least eight tornadoes per day ended on June 7, 1980.

& # 39; We get a lot on a lot of these days these days and that is certainly unusual, & # 39; said Marsh.

The National Weather Service (NWS) had already received at least 27 notifications from tornadoes on Tuesday. There have been 934 tornado reports so far this year, against the annual average of 743 observed tornado's.

More than 500 of these reports have arrived in the last 30 days. The actual number is probably lower, because some of the reports are probably from different witnesses who recognize the same twister.

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The deadly wave of weather has already killed one and injured hundreds more. And according to Marsh, the tornadoes and heavy rain showers that cross the US from the southern plains to New Jersey will disappear by the end of Thursday, but the volatile weather is not over yet.

& # 39; What we can see next week is a transition, & # 39; Marsh told DailyMail.com, adding that certain states may be hit by a huge cluster of thunderstorms capable of producing strong winds and torrential rains, but & # 39; it's too early to tell & # 39; .

And although the extreme weather conditions brought some serious phenomena, including hailstones and some unusual cloud formations, Marsh said: "We cannot somehow explain definitively how climate change can cause heavy thunderstorms and tornadoes". caused. & # 39;

Rain, hail, thunderstorms and the threat of tornadoes will return in East Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri and further to Illinois and parts of the east coast, David Roth, a predictor at the NWS, said early on Wednesday.

& # 39; You cannot take a break, & # 39; said Roth. & # 39; Or not for long. It will clean up Friday, Saturday and Sunday. & # 39;

Provinces in Oklahoma, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia were plagued by the barrage of gusts and powerful storms on Monday evening.

The storms then turned to Kansas, as various twisters reportedly hit Tuesday night.

About 20 tornadoes, including a large rain-packed twister near Kansas City, were reported to the NWS by storm fighters and spotters.

Roofs were torn off and houses and roads were littered with rubble and tree branches.

At least 12 people were injured in an apparent twister on the outskirts of Lawrence, Kansas.

Meanwhile, New Jersey and New York City were also forced to brace themselves for the impact on Tuesday evening.

& # 39; We are flirting in unknown territory & # 39 ;, said Dr. James Marsh of the Federal Storm Forecast Center about the prospect of a rush on a never before seen twelfth day.

& # 39; Normally you would see a break of a day or two between these long stretches, but we don't get that now. & # 39;

A total of 53 suspected tornadoes touched Monday in eight states. An online overview of storm reports posted by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, showed that 14 suspected tornadoes arrived in Indiana, 10 in Colorado and nine in Ohio.

Six suspected tornadoes were reported in Iowa, five in Nebraska, four in Illinois, three in Minnesota and one in Idaho.

All 77 provinces in Oklahoma are still in a state of emergency.

New Jersey: possible tornado damage

Also included in the east coast tornado warnings were parts of northeastern New Jersey, including Hudson County, Union County and Southern Essex County.

The NWS announced that one of its spotters reported that it saw a funnel cloud at the base of a rotating thunderstorm in Mendham.

In Sussex County, emergency crews were called to the Lenape Valley Regional High School to report that there was & # 39; possible tornado damage & # 39; was through which the structure of the building was searched. Civil servants also responded to widespread power cuts and lowered trees.

From Wednesday morning, more than 2,900 people were without power in New Jersey.

When 50 to 100 people were in the school, they attended an evening dinner in the canteen when the storm struck.

Two people were injured during the ordeal after a tree reportedly fell on a vehicle. The couple suffered only minor injuries and no one was taken to the hospital, a representative of the local sheriff office said.

Others attending the event hid in the gymnasium until the emergency officials told them it was safe to leave.

The campus had & # 39; substantial cables down and uprooted trees & # 39; with less damage to the front of the building, Chief Inspector Paul DiRupo told NJLive.

The school will remain closed on Wednesday because researchers will inspect the full extent of the damage.

So far, officials have not yet confirmed whether a tornado has struck the area.

New York City: severe thunderstorm warnings

Late Tuesday evening, the NWS published tornado warnings for various counties around Manhattan, and spurred them on the path of the & # 39; dangerous & # 39; storm to stay inside.

The service said strong winds and possible sudden floods could result from the storm, along with a chance of a hail & # 39; the size of quarters & # 39; falling from the sky.

More than a million residents of Staten Island and the larger subway were under a tornado watch.

# Flying debris will be dangerous for those caught without shelter. Mobile homes are damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely, "NWS said in a statement on Tuesday.

& # 39; This Tornado warning replaces the severe thunderstorm warning issued for the same area & # 39 ;, the service added.

All flights from the city's LaGuardia airport were also justified due to the incoming storms. Although the airport is in Queens – which was not included in the warning – all flights were stopped as a precaution.

Despite the warnings and a frightening storm, a tornado has never taken place in New York.

Pennsylvania: large clumps of hail and floods

Almost full Pennsylvania was also put on tornado on Tuesday, when powerful storms invaded the area from the Midwest.

The extreme recalculation brought with it a number of serious phenomena, including hail stones the size of golf balls, flooding and a number of unusual cloud formations.

Hail was captured in large groves over Lake Winola, with other surrounding areas, including Lancaster County and Schuylkill County, reportedly also affected.

A frightening tornado was observed on the ground in Berks County, near Reading.

Meanwhile, a funnel cloud – the core of a tornado – was documented swirling in formation above the sky of West Nantmeal Township in Chester County.

Kansas: At least one dead and 12 injured after & # 39; major & # 39; tornado

A large and dangerous tornado hit the west side of Kansas City, Kansas, around eight o'clock Tuesday, the NWS reported.

In Leavenworth, Kansas, a 68-year-old woman died on Tuesday after a tree fell into her home.

At least a dozen people were hospitalized in Lawrence, 40 miles west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and home to the University of Kansas, said the hospital spokesman, Janice Early.

Damage was also reported in the cities of Linwood, Bonner Springs and Pleasant Grove.

But the metropolitan area of ​​Kansas City of about 2.1 million people seemed to have been spared the hit that was feared earlier in the evening when the weather service announced a tornado emergency.

Residents were forced to shelter when the storm moved east across the heart of the metropolitan area and to the Missouri border.

According to the Douglas County Sheriff & # 39; s Department, six people were taken to Lawrence Hospital with injuries during the storm, including one with serious injuries, and five were reportedly transferred to other emergency departments.

Authorities said that & # 39; different houses throughout the province & # 39; suffered considerable damage. Power lines and trees were also knocked down, as well as debris that blocked many of the provincial roads.

Kansas City International Airport officials suspended flights and moved stranded customers from the terminals to parking garage tunnels to await the storms and tornadoes.

They stayed in the tunnels for more than an hour before the referees had given them everything to return to the terminals.

However, the storm left a lot of debris behind at the airport and caused serious delays, the airport revealed on Twitter.

& # 39; Airport / airport still closed for aircraft due to unsafe conditions from area debris & # 39 ;, an official tweeted at 10 p.m.

& # 39; Small pieces can damage aircraft. Crews working on clearing a 2-mile 150-meter-wide runway, taxiways and platforms. Estimated opening after 11 p.m. & # 39;

In a later post, the airport announced that it also carried out checks on their parking places to assess possible damage to customer cars. Although there are no damaged vehicles & # 39; from 11:00 pm & # 39; were reported.

Mark Duffin, 48, learned from his wife and a television report that the big tornado was on its way to his home in Linwood, about 30 miles west of Kansas City.

The next thing he knew was that the walls of his house were coming down.

Duffin told the Kansas City Star that he grabbed a mattress, followed his 13-year-old to the basement, and protected the two with the mattress as the house crashed around them.

& # 39; I'm just glad I found my two dogs alive & # 39 ;, he said. & # 39; Woman lives, family lives, I live. So that's it. & # 39;

The wind pulled away roofs – leaving homes like gigantic dolls – knocking houses off their foundations, knocking down trees, knocking down power lines and so much debris that it was visible on the radar.

& # 39; The most structural damage appears to have occurred in the Lawrence area when the tornado passed just outside the city boundary & # 39 ;, Lawrence police said in a tweet.

Ohio: One dead and more than 130 people injured by & # 39; rapid fire & # 39; tornado & # 39; s

Ohio officials said earlier Tuesday that several & # 39; rapid-fire & # 39; tornado & five million people left without power in the state alone.

Authorities also confirmed a death in Celina, Ohio, about 75 miles northwest of Dayton.

Celina Mayor Jeffrey Hazel said that 81-year-old Melvin Dale Hanna died when a Chevrolet Station Wagon was blown into his home during his sleep.

Hanna & # 39; s neighbor, Wendy Knapke, said she was watching as the vehicle was picked up by the tornado, flying over her house and bumping into the back of Hannah & # 39; s house.

Recently widowed, Hanna lived alone and his body was discovered in his bedroom. He was described as & # 39; an incredible father and an incredible man & # 39 ;, for the Columbus shipment.

Authorities said the most serious damage was reported in Celina. Hazel said there are & # 39; areas that really resemble war area & # 39; in the city with around 10,000 people.

Weather officials said an EF3 tornado hit Celina, but the speed is still being investigated.

Celina Fire Chief, Douglas Wolters, said no fewer than 90 homes were damaged by the tornadoes that were beaten by the region. Wolters estimates that 40 of the houses have suffered considerable damage and that some of their bases have been beaten.

Most people stay with family or friends, but some went to a shelter in nearby Coldwater.

The storms scattered debris so thick that at some point the crews had to use snow peaks to clear the Interstate 75.

At least half a dozen communities from eastern Indiana to central Ohio suffered damage, the NWS said.

Mayor Hazel said first responders rescued a few people from their homes overnight and fought a third time to see if anyone else was trapped.

& # 39; It's devastating, & # 39; he added.

Elizabeth Long, a spokeswoman for the Kettering Health Network, said that dozens have been treated in local hospitals for minor injuries.

& # 39; We have had injuries ranging from injuries to the bumps and bruises of people thrown into their homes by the storms & # 39 ;, Long said.

The sheriff asked residents to avoid storm-damaged areas.

& # 39; There are multiple locations that have suffered extensive damage and the roads in those areas must be kept clear so that rescuers can come through to help those in need & # 39 ;, says an explanation.

According to the sheriff, there are also & # 39; potentially dangerous situations with streamlines down, unstable trees and possibly gas leaks & # 39 ;.

Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley urged residents to check on neighbors, especially those who are home-bound.

The power response requires a & # 39; multi-day recovery effort & # 39 ;, Dayton Power & Light said in an early morning sweat. Vanaf woensdagochtend hadden meer dan 37.000 mensen geen stroom, volgens PowerOutage.us

In a tweet, the city of Dayton urged residents to save water after the storms cut power to water plants and pumping stations.

'Vanwege de grote stroomuitval vragen we alle klanten van Dayton en Montgomery County om water te besparen', tweette de stad dinsdag.

& # 39; We have lost power to both aquatic plants and pumping stations. First responders perform search and rescue operations and clean up debris. & # 39;

City Manager Shelley Dickstein later gave cooking advice for residents. The advice covers & # 39; all water customers in Dayton and Montgomery County & # 39 ;.

Heartbreaking images showed families visiting what's left of their homes to dig through the debris.

Some found items to take with them, while others wept over the remnants of their houses. Others took photos of the damage and some were seen preparing to clean up their yards.

Republican Gov Mike DeWine visited communities hard-hit by the tornadoes in the Dayton area.

Among areas he visited is Trotwood, an older Dayton suburb of some 24,500 people, that was hit by a tornado with 140mph winds. The NWS classified the Trotwood tornado as an EF3.

An EF3 is considered a strong tornado that does severe damage, rated on a scale of EF0 through EF5.

During his visits, DeWine spoke with President Donald Trump.

'Storms overnight across Ohio and many other States were very dangerous and damaging. My team continues to update me with reports from emergency managers in the States affected. Listen to your local officials and be resilient. We are with you!' Trump tweeted Tuesday afternoon.

He followed that tweet up with another that said he had just spoken with DeWine.

'@GovMikeDeWine just updated me on the devastation from the many tornadoes that struck Ohio early this morning. My Administration fully supports the people of the great State of Ohio as they begin the cleanup and recovery,' Trump wrote.

Trotwood Mayor Mary McDonald reported extensive, 'catastrophic damage'.

She said five busloads of displaced residents were taken to a church offering temporary shelter while the American Red Cross assesses needs.

In Harrison Township fire chief Mark Lynch said that the town appeared to be hit by 'World War III' and that it will take 'several years of rebuilding'.

Two tornadoes hit Monday night near the metro area of ​​Dayton, Ohio, just 30 minutes apart, according to the NWS.

The aftermath left some lanes of Interstate 75 north of Dayton.

Plowed trucks scraped branches and debris to reopen the great north-south route, according to Matt Bruning, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Transportation.

In Brookville, west of Dayton, the storm tore roofs off schools, destroyed a shed and badly damaged homes. Classes were canceled. In the county of Montgomery, Sheriff Streck said that many roads were impassable.

The first destructive tornado first arrived in the town of Trotwood, just outside of Dayton, at about 11 p.m. on Monday evening before traveling through the state.

At that time, the NWS described the tornado as & # 39; extremely dangerous & # 39; en waarschuwde hij inwoners om in hun schuilplaatsen te blijven terwijl het door het dichtbevolkte gebied scheurde.

& # 39; This is a life-threatening situation & # 39 ;, the NWS warned in a tweet. The agency also said that residents should seek coverage in two nearby provinces.

Weather officials reported signs on their radars of debris being lifted tens of thousands of feet when the first tornado touched down.

Photos taken by residents showed severely damaged houses and buildings, as well as cut trees and power lines.

Since 2012, the tornado figures have brought the United States to rest, with counts that follow on or below the average every year and meteorologists who are still working to find out why.

'A lot of people are trying to answer that, but there's no definitive answer,' Marsh said.

The recent rise in tornado activity in the last two weeks was due to high pressure across the southeast and an unusually cold trough over the Rockies that forced warm, moist air in the central US to repeated heavy thunderstorms and periodic whirlwinds.

Scientists also say that climate change is responsible for more intense and frequent extreme weather, such as storms, droughts, floods and fires, but without extensive study they cannot link a single weather to the changing climate.

'Neither one of these large systems —the high over the Southeast or the trough over the Rockies— are showing signs of moving,' Marsh said. 'It's a little unusual for them to be so entrenched this late in the season.'

Those conditions are ripe for the kind of tornadoes that have swept across the Midwest in the last two weeks, said Cathy Zapotocny, a meteorologist for the NWS in Valley, Nebraska.

Zapotocny said the unstable atmosphere helped fuel many of the severe winter storms and subsequent flooding that ravaged Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri earlier this year.

'We've been stuck in this pattern since February,' she said.

Zapotocny said the number of tornadoes this year was 'basically normal' until the surge this week.

May is typically the month with the highest incidence of tornadoes, usually in the Plains and Midwestern states collectively known as Tornado Alley, where most of this year's twisters have hit.

Most of the confirmed tornadoes were rated as less-intense EF0, EF1 and EF2s on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

But 23 were classified as EF3 tornadoes, with wind speeds of 136-165mph. The strongest confirmed tornado this year was the EF4 tornado that killed 23 people in Alabama in March.

So far this year, 38 people have died in 10 tornadoes in the US, including a combined seven within the last week in Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma and Ohio.

The relatively quiet storms in recent years followed the massive tornado that killed 161 people and injured more than 1,100 in Joplin, Missouri, in 2011. The EF5 storm packed winds in excess of 200mph and was on the ground for more than 22 miles.

Monday's outbreak was unusual because it occurred over a particularly wide geographic area.

Eight states were affected by two regional outbreaks, in the high Plains and the Ohio River Valley.

Missouri remained under a severe weather threat through Tuesday night, barely a week after a massive tornado ripped through the state capital of Jefferson City, but the high pressure system that raised the risk is set to move out of the state by Thursday.

'The main threat is going to be tonight and tomorrow,' said Cory Rothstein, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Springfield, Missouri.