Forecasters warn of life-threatening storms

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Forecasters warn of life-threatening storms
In an unusual move, national weather forecasters have issued an early warning that conditions are ripe for violent tornadoes to rip through the Midwest this weekend.
According to a story by the Associated Press, the expected weekend storms will stretch from Texas to Minnesota and could be a "high-end, life threatening event." On Friday, a tornado was seen near the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman just after 4 p.m. local time, according to a local television station. There were no reported injuries. This is only the second time in history that the Storm Prediction Center issued a high-risk warning more than 24 hours in advance, Russ Schneider, director of the center told the AP. The worst weather is expected to develop late Saturday afternoon between Oklahoma City and Salina, Kan., Other areas also could see severe storms with baseball-sized hail and winds of up to 70 mph, forecasters told the AP. The warning issued Friday covers parts of Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. The Storm Prediction Center advises residents in those areas should be aware of warnings and alerts and seek shelter in a safe place should severe weather hit.
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Below are continuing updates tracking the severe weather battering parts of the Midwest. Forecasters have cautioned that Saturday could be a day of "life-threatening" storms, according to the Associated Press. The area at risk stretches from Texas to Minnesota. All times are Central Standard.

5:05 p.m. (CST): Tornado Watch issued until 12 a.m. for central Iowa and northern Missouri includes Des Moines.

4:29 p.m. (CST): McConnell Air Force Base near Wichita is relocating some of its aircraft as the severe storm approaches the area, a spokeswoman tells the Wichita Eagle newspaper.

3:53 p.m. (CST): An official in Burdett, Kan. tells KSN-TV a tornado came close, but did not hit the town.

3:32 p.m. (CST): Tornado warnings and initial reports are picking up rapidly. The National Weather Service has 8 preliminary reports and warnings now stretch to Oklahoma.

3:19 p.m. (CST): The severe to strong weather is expected to affect parts of the central and southern Plains this afternoon and tonight, says the National Weather Service. The NWS Storm Prediction Center is forecasting the development of strong to violent long-track tornadoes in parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and Nebraska.

2:16 p.m. (CST): The National Weather Service in Dodge City, Kan. has confirmed a tornado 8 miles northwest of Spearville, Kan.

2:15 p.m. (CST): Baseball-sized hail crashed through windows in northeast Nebraska and at least three possible tornadoes have been reported in parts of Oklahoma, according to an AP report.

1:50 p.m. (CST): The University of Nebraska cancelled their Spring scrimmage as hail and sharp lightning moved through the area 90 minutes before the scheduled kickoff. The Associated Press reports officials decided to cancel rather than delay the scrimmage because of the threat of more strong storms and possible tornadoes later in the day.

1:04 p.m. (CST): The National Weather Service in Hastings has issued tornado warnings in North Central Kansas. Warnings are for Northwestern Osborne County and Southern Smith County.


1 p.m. (CST): The major storms are expected to hit between noon and mid-evening, according to the National Weather Service.

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Midwest storms: Tornadoes claim at least 5 in Oklahoma
Below are continuing updates of the severe weather in parts of the Midwest. A round of severe weather which included tornadoes, heavy winds and baseball-sized hail has passed through Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas. The storm is expected to roll through the Great Lakes states early Sunday morning. All times are Central Standard.

4:40 a.m. (CST): At least five fatalities have been reported in Oklahoma, including two children, reports CNN. Amy Elliott of the state Medical Examiner's Office said the deaths were in the town of Woodward. Woodward Mayor Roscoe Hill said the he storm that struck the town shortly after midnight, according to CNN. "Everything is dark. Buildings have been tore up," he told the news outlet. The story said there were at least 88 reports of tornadoes in Oklahoma.

11:30 p.m. (CST): The Topeka Capital-Journal reports up to 20 reported tornadoes in Kansas, with the Wichita area taking a significant hit.

10:40 p.m. (CST): Officials are telling the Associated Press that the small town of Thurman, Iowa is nearly 75 percent destroyed. The town's Emergency Management Director said there were no storm related injuries or deaths reported in the community of about 250. Also, a possible tornado struck a hospital Saturday evening in Creston, Iowa, CNN reports.

9:48 p.m. (CST): According to the National Weather Service, a confirmed and "large and extremely dangerous tornado" was located near Argonia, Kan. The alert notes that major power outages and damage is expected. Impacted areas include Wichita and surrounding areas.

9 p.m. (CST): A National Weather Service report states a very large and destructive tornado is likely moving through Fellsburg, Kan. The advisory urges residents to take life-saving precautions immediately.

7:29 p.m. (CST): Tornadoes touched down in Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas with no deaths reported and damage in mostly unpopulated areas, Reuters reports. However, according to a National Weather Service advisory: "Conditions will remain favorable for strong to violent and possibly long-lived tornadoes into the overnight hours."

The advisory noted that "Tornadoes during the overnight hours can be particularly dangerous because they are usually fast-moving and obscured by rain and darkness."

The National Weather Service said severe storms were also possible tonight from Texas to Iowa to South Dakota and Minnesota.

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Huge super cells form in the skies near the area of Kingfisher, Oklahoma April 13, 2012. Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are expected Saturday afternoon and evening over central and eastern Kansas, central and eastern Nebraska and central and north central Oklahoma, the National Weather Service said.

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Deadly tornadoes wallop Midwest

Clean-up efforts were underway across the Midwest after dozens of tornadoes tore through the region over the weekend, killing five people in Oklahoma and nearly destroying one small Iowa town.
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Gary Gladwin looks over his wrecked property where he stored a 1937 Chevy, in Thurman, Iowa, Sunday, April 15, 2012. A large part of the town in the western part of the state was destroyed Saturday night, possibly by a tornado, but no one was injured or killed. Fremont County Emergency Management Director Mike Crecelius said about 75 percent of the 250-person town was destroyed.