“Severe Storms Cause Tornadoes and Power Outages Across the US”
As of Monday, nearly 300,000 homes and businesses in five states are still without power due to intense storms sweeping across a region from Texas to Michigan. This severe weather brought damaging winds, hail, and possible tornadoes, with reported tornado sightings in Missouri, Tennessee, and Michigan as warm and cold air masses collided. The National Weather Service has warned tens of millions of residents in the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, and central Gulf Coast to prepare for more severe weather on Monday, including large hail, strong winds, and tornadoes.
Tragic deaths have been linked to the storm, including a truck driver in Valparaiso, Indiana, and another individual in Indiana who was killed when strong winds toppled an Amish buggy. In Michigan, where over 235,000 customers were without power on Monday evening, three people died in a car crash in Kalamazoo County when a tree fell on their vehicle. Additionally, a man in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, was killed when a tree struck his mobile home during the storm.
Significant power outages have been reported in Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Louisiana, and Mississippi. AccuWeather has cautioned that while storms in the Southeast may ease on Monday afternoon, a new line of storms may form later in the day and move across Virginia and the Carolinas, impacting cities like Richmond, Raleigh, Charleston, and Jacksonville.
A secondary storm system is expected to emerge from the Rockies and move across the Plains by midweek, potentially bringing severe weather to the Central states on Tuesday. Wednesday could see another round of tornadoes, large hail, and strong winds extending from northeastern Texas to Michigan. Additionally, a late-season winter storm is brewing in the Central Plains, with heavy snowfall predicted for the Dakotas and parts of Minnesota on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Officials are monitoring these weather systems closely and advising residents to stay informed and prepared for possible severe weather conditions.
According to the Detroit Free Press, a car was struck by a fallen tree in the area on Sunday, as reported by the National Weather Service, police, and news sources. The storm resulted in over 130 incidents of downed trees, power lines, and other hazards, as stated by the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office on social media. Authorities cautioned that more trees, weakened by wind and wet soil, were likely to fall. The weekend weather brought severe thunderstorms, freezing rain, and strong winds to Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, as well as to Wisconsin, Indiana, and Ontario, Canada, leaving significant ice accumulation on trees in some regions. An ice storm warning was issued for Emmet, Cheboygan, and Presque Isle counties by the National Weather Service in Gaylord on Friday. The weather service continued to warn of freezing rain on Saturday, sharing images on social media of ice-covered trees. This event caused power outages and other disruptions in states stretching from Texas to Michigan.
