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Subscribe to RSSThe National Weather Service warns that fast-moving, life-threatening tornadoes will potentially touch down after dark. The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore, Mike Seidel and Eric Fisher report.
Updated at 7:06 a.m. Sunday ET: At least five people have been killed in Oklahoma and a disaster emergency has been declared in Kansas after a severe storm system moving through the Midwest spawned a number of strong tornadoes.
Oklahoma Dept. of Emergency Management information officer Keli Cain confirmed there were five deaths in the Woodward area of north-west Oklahoma.
At least 29 people were injured across Oklahoma and neighbouring states.
Two of the dead are children, according to NBC News affiliate in Oklahoma, KFOR.
In Kansas, governor Sam Brownback issued a declaration of disaster emergency to help speed relief to areas affected by the storms. "We are continuing to assess all the damages across the state," said Brownback, "and signing this declaration clears the way for making state aid available to those counties that need help with clean-up and recovery."
Dozens of tornadoes were reported Saturday as baseball-size hail shattered windows and tore the siding off homes in northeast Nebraska and one twister damaged a hospital in Creston, Iowa. Several homes were wrecked in Kansas.
NBC News reported there were 112 recorded tornadoes in Kansas, Nebraska, Indiana and Oklahoma.
Forecasters had warned of "life-threatening" storms in the nation's midsection. No serious injuries from Saturday were immediately reported.
A tornado was reported on the ground near Wichita, Kan., late Saturday and power in the city was going out, NBC station KSN reported. Homes were reported damaged on the city's south side, but details were not immediately available.
Slideshow: Tornadoes rake Midwest
KSN also reported that one building at airplane-maker Spirit Aerosystem collapsed in the storm. At the Wichita airport, winds gusting to 84 mph blew open hangars and overturned luggage carts, The Weather Channel reported. McConnell Air Force Base, which relocated aircraft to other bases before the storms moved in, reported hangar and housing damage, KSN said.
The National Weather Service office in Wichita temporarily turned over operations to the Topeka office Saturday as storms threatened to destroy its building.
A tornado was spotted in Langley, Kan., earlier Saturday evening.
Orlin Wagner / AP
A tornado moves on the ground north of Soloman, Kan., Saturday, April 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)
One tornado narrowly missing Salina after being on the ground for about 30 miles.
Three farmsteads sustained damage in Rush County, Kan. and a home was destroyed near Langley, NBC News reported. Trees were downed and power lines were down for other rural customers.
One tornado damaged the roof and blew out windows at the Greater Regional Medical Center in Creston, Iowa, but no injuries were reported, officials said. Power was out in much of the city of 7,600 population about 75 miles southwest of Des Moines.
Fremont County, Iowa, Emergency Management Director Mike Crecelius told The Associated Press about 75 percent of the town of Thurman was destroyed. He said there were no injuries and no deaths in the town of about 250 people. Crecelius said the town was on lockdown and some residents took refuge in City Hall, which still had power. Officials and residents expect to start cleaning up Sunday.
Stormchasers early Sunday reported major damage from a significant tornado in Woodward, Okla. Significant sructural damage and possible injuries were reported, The Weather Channel reported.
An apparent tornado took down barns, outbuildings and large trees in southeast Nebraska, and Johnson County emergency director Clint Strayhorn said he was still trying to determine how long the twister was on the ground and how much damage it did.
"I'm on a 2-mile stretch that this thing is on the ground and I haven't even gotten to the end of it yet," he said as he walked the path of destruction near the Johnson-Nemaha county line. He described a line of downed trees and a barn that was destroyed. He didn't immediately know of any injuries.
“What is now under way is potentially a very serious situation,” Bill Bunting, chief of operations for the Storm Prediction Center said earlier Saturday. Officials warned that other areas at risk were parts of Illinois, Missouri and Texas.
The last time the National Weather Service issued such a high-risk warning was last April, Bunting said.
Comments from the targeted region started to stream onto msnbc.com’s Facebook page Saturday evening. Their comments and their Facebook IDs:
"Oklahoma is get'n shaken up jus a bit. If they weren't ALL Around. I woulda left state! But gonna pray & ride it out here in Okie.” -- Kimberly Dawn.
“Partly cloudy and very windy in S.E. Kansas with potential for severe storms after 10 pm. You pray and keep your eyes on the weather reports.” -- Valori Richardson
“I'm east of Wichita, KS. Very muggy here. Very windy. Waiting for the storms to pop here. The local weather people are warning everyone to be prepared to take shelter even into the overnight hours. This is the real deal.” -- Diane Lowery.
Nebraska canceled its spring scrimmage football game as heavy rain, hail and lightning moved through the area an hour and a half before kickoff, The Associated Press reported. Records show the spring game has been played every year since at least 1950. In northeast Nebraska, baseball-sized hail rained down, Bunting said.
The Weather Channel's Dr. Greg Forbes takes a look at the night's forecast.
He advised the nearly 5 million residents who live in the high-risk area to listen to their NOAA weather radio, a nationwide network of radio stations that broadcast from the National Weather Service.
He expects fast-moving tornadoes to touch down after dark, a dangerous time as people may not be able to see the warning signs. The storm threat continues Sunday, he said, as storms move east through Texas, Arkansas and into the Great Lakes region and Wisconsin.
Local officials should notify residents via outdoor sirens, phone calls and social media, Bunting said.
Tornado sirens already sounded across Oklahoma City hours before dawn on Saturday. Department of Emergency Management official Michelann Ooten said one of the possible tornadoes was spotted near Piedmont, a small town near Oklahoma City where a twister killed several people last May.
Weather Service meteorologist Kevin Brown told The Associated Press that the storms Saturday morning were fairly weak but still damaged some homes.
A tornado that touched down Friday afternoon sent 10 people to the hospital with "bumps and bruises" and ripped through southwest Norman, ripping up telephone poles, shredding trees and ripping off rooftops, according to the Oklahoman. The AP reported that 100 people were staying at a Red Cross shelter that had been established.
The Weather Channel's Eric Fisher reports on the latest in Oklahoma City.
On Friday, Norman, Okla., home to the University of Oklahoma campus, got a preview of the potential destruction when a twister whizzed by the nation's tornado forecasting headquarters but caused little damage.
The Storm Prediction Center, which is part of the National Weather Service, gave the sobering warning that the outbreak could be a "high-end, life-threatening event."
Historic warning
Director Russ Schneider said it was just the second time in U.S. history that the center issued a high-risk warning more than 24 hours in advance. The first was in April 2006, when nearly 100 tornadoes tore across the southeastern U.S., killing a dozen people and damaging more than 1,000 homes in Tennessee.
It's possible to issue earlier warnings because improvements in storm modeling and technology are letting forecasters predict storms earlier and with greater confidence, said Chris Vaccaro, a spokesman for the National Weather Service. In the past, people often have had only minutes of warning when a siren went off.
The strongly worded message came after the National Weather Service announced last month that it would start using terms like "mass devastation," "unsurvivable" and "catastrophic" in warnings in an effort to get more people to take heed.
This article includes reporting by The Weather Channel and The Associated Press.
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The US is ANTI to everything Jesus stood for.
What has that got to do with anything??? Please stick to the topic at hand.
Give awabnavi a break. It's hard to stay focused with all those voices in your head.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....to live in the spring in the midwest..it always keeps ya on your toes..
Just keep watching the weather reports folks, thats about all you can do. And I do wish you well..
not going to comment on global warming...politics like the rest on here...just keep your eye on the weather channel.
msn brilliance strikes again. The title of the article is that tornadoes hit the midwest. But in the text, it states that they struck in Oklahoma. I sure wouldn't consider Oklahoma the midwest.
I just hope nobody loses their lives. Possesions can be replaced eventually. Luck to all who live in the tornado prone areas.
To all: If you wsnt your comment read, keep it short. I don't read long comments and I'm sure many others don't either.
My In-Laws farm was devastated by the tornado in Creston,IA.
Luckily everyone is ok!
Keep everyone in the path of these storms in your thoughts!
Sorry for the typos. I do know how to spell. I just didn't check over my comment before hitting "post" or read over it while there was still time to make corrections.
I suppose someone should feel sorry for them. I will see what
I can do.
Another a$$hole heard from!
LOL
Middle America's "Tornado Alley" is definitely a place I never want to live in! Seems like it's always rebuild, rebuild, rebuild!
East coast or West coast is much more sane to me... weather-wise!
Ain't to fond of the red state's bumber-sticker mentality, either.
And how often is the east coast hit by hurricanes???
Or the left coast by floods, fires and earthquakes?
The interior climate of the US is more of a habitual mess than the East & West coast.
Seems like the weather & climate changes in the interior states is a testing lab for "every week of death & destruction" events. Too frequent for me. Too landlocked! Too insane...!
And, don't attempt to bore me with the incessant..."We keep rebuilding" crap. You can have it.
Pray that they are safe and they should be spending the night in a shelter or sleep in basement with the basic emergency needs.
Ugh... what a nightmare. Best wishes to the people who have suffered because of this.
i orderd for the storm in ia.it was to hit waterloo.the baby taken town and rapist jail.my mom and dad are just looking out for me.see waterloo had no reason to take children from descent paeople and.use there corupted system.they all work to gether taking children from the volunerble adaults and adopting.them out for money. its a money making ordeal for ia.so i prey to our father.for tetrus weather.
huh? I think someone forgot her medication.....
god who created the earth. ponds the earth with thunder.its somthing he dont like.
What????
LOL....after reading some of the comments posted by folks who may take their religion a tad too seriously,my comments don't seem too narrow-minded anymore.I agree homesick yank--- I'll second that "What????"
???
No tornadoes here in Arizona, thankfully... but our mountains received a couple feet of snow today. Here in the desert it was only in the 50s this afternoon with some wind and rain... chilly weather for April.
Holy Toledo!
There have been 4 deaths confirmed in Woodward, OK, including 2 children.
I've been reading the other comments; I now put in my 2 cents worth. I feel horrible because I won't be planning to send money to the charitable organizations that can badly use the funds for not only this disastrous weather but other disasters. I am calling myself a hypocrite right now because I am now going to go on to say that my prayers and best wishes are with everybody having to clean up and deal with the aftermath. I have family and acquaintances and some of my son's family in the area and am going to be checking up on the ones that I can and asking if the others are okay through mutual family/acquaintances. But if anyone else wants to start a fund, either in their own name or through an organization or person in the affected areas, please feel free to do so! I wish you all the best!
If you say that the charity organizations "can badly use the funds", then why not send them the money? What is the point of your comment?
Perhaps they need the their own money as much or more than someone else. I won't be sending any money to charities either. I must use it all myself, just to make it from one PAYcheck to the next.
Oklahoma is a Plains State not a Midwest State. And look at your map. Wisconsin IS part of the Great Lakes region.
Thank you, Dingo. It is appalling that msn doesn't use editors.
Just think of what government emergency services will be available in places like this if the Repulicans get into power. They want to cut back on all services, and dismantle most government offices!!
Yeah, the republicans would just say "tough twister." You chose to live there and therefore it is your matter only.
I don't think we are having any worse storms now than we had 40 or 50 years ago, the problem is that the populations have grown so much, that what used to be farmland or forests are now housing developments. That 1950 tornado scared hell out of the livestock and got an occasional horse or cow. Now these tornados are tearing through housing areas and causing death and destruction because people are now in the paths instead of just farmland and livestock. Anyone living in "tornado alley" so to speak, all know what to do or learn what to do real quick and these devastating tornados are not as lethal as they could be if everyone was sitting watching TV as they hit.
God bless you people in these midwest states!! Here in NJ, we haven't a clue what you people go through with these tornadoes. Every time I hear of threats of tornadoes, I just imagine how terrifying it must be to go through! Here on the east coast, all we can do is helplessly watch, wonder how people live through this, and say our prayers for all of you!
THE INNER WORKINGS OF THE RING OF FIRE
The Ring of Fire's Inner Workings are actually located around Mega Volcanoes that are actually located in the Appalachian Mountains; and the surrounding areas are also heavily populated with different races of people along many towns and small poor villages; and when a top of a mega volcanic activity starts to become within the coming year of 2012; all will know that other Fire Lines will soon become activated; so far a Fire Line that directly aligns off the coastal waters of Japan; are now becoming activated and soon another eruption will also have a people running for cover; also this time around; as for a second time; a Tsunami will also occur; it will also run across; and waves of waters; will also cover some of the Hawaiian Islands.
The Ring of Fire also has many little Fire Lines also stretching out from the major liquidators of veins; and major veins consisting of those that run along an Eastern Seaboard of France, Spain, and also as of the United States; also will be the second strings to ignite; within the coming year of 2012; many small earthquakes will start to trigger off the igniting of The Ring of Fire's Second String; thus allowing humanity to be prepared to allow major evacuations and to also save many lives.
After the Second String ignites the surrounding areas will also follow suit thus; and a Third String; which are in and across the lower regional areas just below a European Coastline; will also slowly start to become activated and also will cause major damage to an African Coastline; a Forth String of activation will also be along a South American Coastline; and Brazil; which is also located right on top of a Volcano; will also start to feel tremors; and the alternating forces will cause waves of Tsunamis back and forth; and along a Polar Polarity; soon to be the South Pole; that was once a North Pole; will also become so heated that a majority of all Mega Volcanoes; also will start to become activated.
Along a South American Outer Boarder; Southwest of Brazil; lies several other formations of inactive smaller volcanoes; which will also slowly start to become active; during a time of a month as of April; another polarity; as of the South becoming North; will start to pass inadvertently towards a placement of a polarized oceanic area called the Baltic Sea; thus allowing a positive alignment with a negative atoms that will cause a rippling of positively charged ions to also attract a negatively charged Polarity; after a movement of a positively charged space of moving a Polarity becoming in contact also with a negatively charged space; impacting of negatively charged space will also attract a positively charged polarity; thus allowing a faster placing of movement to become a stronger current of waves; which will also be forcing out a bombardment of an inner spacing of neutral protons which will also be neutralizing a space of a placing of an actual Northern Polarity; and effectively begin a transitional processing of negative atoms to be effectively dispersed throughout an atmospheric plane of earthen space.
April 10, 2012.
Now because of an actualization of the melting of the polarized icecaps and because the poles have decreased because the melting of ice decreased by 50%; which in an actuality has caused the Ring of Fire to be awakened.
The first and second string of the Ring of fire are becoming activated by the melting of the polar ice caps; which are causing the rise of the oceans throughout the global world and to cause more climatic changes which are starting to effect all of the elements of Water, Fire, Air, and Earth; are becoming reactivated to the negative charges; and because of the negative charges which are producing more protons and having the residual of an overabundance of neutrons; which are being bombarded by positive charges of neutrons; which cannot pass through them; because those of negative neutrons which are making more positive charges of protons to become charged with negative protons; within a positive atom formalization.
April 12, 2012.
The ring of fire is now waking up a second fire line; now because of the active changes that are now occurring; and because of elemental changes that are producing negative ions within a structural formalization of positive currents; all of the fire lines now are slowly becoming activated; now because of a second fire line, which wraps around an entire globe will now awaken the third fire line; now because there are only four major fire lines, which in fact can produce an awakening of the ring of fire which also wraps around the entire globe; the main four fire lines will now stream through all of the other veins; which come out of the four main fire lines; and will in fact cause major eruptions; which will in fact; cause those of sleeping volcanoes to become activated; thus the main nesting of the heart of the ring of fire which is in the region of the Appalachian Mountains; which will be activated by the soon to be the non existence of the polar ice caps, which will in fact become a replica of the map of the Cretaceous era; when the Pacific coastal region of the United States also will start to have tremors; and because of an awakening of the third fire line; many people will become nervous because of a third fire line; which in fact is now awakening; and because as of the second fire line; which governs the inner part of Atlantic Ocean and because of east coastal seaboard of the United States; which will start to also have tremors and because of a European coastline; which will also actually start to have tremors; and because in actuality the coming of an awakening of a third fire line; which also wraps around the globe will become the inner most workings of an Asian eastern coastline; which the island of Japan is within a vicinity of China's shores of coastal waters will in fact become more activated by the first fire line of the ring of fire.
Now because the first fire line is within the vicinity of the Pacific ocean; the islands within the vicinity of the Pacific ocean will also start to have volcanic activities; and become more activated; and because of smaller islands which in fact will have an impacting of rising waters which will capitulate them; and because of the the second fire line; which in fact will become is awakening also; will allow a third fire line to become activated; which in fact wraps around the entire globe; will start to correctly activate now; and volcanic activity throughout the continent of Africa and of ice land and of the North and South polarity will create confusion amongst those of geologist; because they are thinking that one fire line will not activate another fire line; now because of an activation of a third fire line which in fact will trace back to the nesting of the ring of fire; which is within the Appalachian Mountains; will start the rising of the of the Great Lakes; and those who are within the vicinity of the coastal line of the Great Lakes will in fact also become flooded.
I think the article is about tornadoes, not volcanoes.....
I hope them Oklahoma publican type call a private industry to clean up the mess.
That fire department is Socialism!
Them Oklahoma types.. really hate that socialism.
Let private industry clean it up..
see how far they get.
You can bet there will be volunteer responders, every community has them. They are paid a small amount every year out of town budgets, and they are on call 24/7. In my area there is not a paid fire department, just the volunteers. I'm not in Oklahoma or Kansas, but I bet you will see that there too.
Tornadoes can be dangerous no matter how small. When you get a powerful one, it can be a killer. Noaa was right. It was a killer. Mr grover, the gop, & the rushbo should pay more attention to noaaa, like the democrats, because noaa says that co2 is behind these tornadoes and weird weather. Otherwise, the tornadoes will only get stronger and there will be many more of them.
Thanks everyone for your prayers and concern's .These tornadoes was as bad as can be; they came during night worse time you can have if looking in damaged areas for people.I live in Oklahoma and I tell you all of us appreciate your concern ; also Kansas and Nebraska were hard hit ; hoping and praying no more deaths. .Again thanks everyone.
I couldn't spend every day wondering if today was the day I was going to be swept away like Dorothy! We are going to Holton and Whiting Kansas next week I hope that we have blue skys and lots of sun!!!