'Heartbreaking' destruction in Missouri after tornado; 5 deaths reported

A tornado that slammed into southeastern Missouri early Wednesday caused at least five deaths and injuries to five people, and prompted a feverish search for survivors in the wreckage, authorities said.

Tornadoes were reported in parts of Illinois, Iowa and Missouri late Tuesday and early Wednesday, and severe storms forced brief ground stops at major airports in Austin, Chicago and Detroit.

The Missouri Highway Patrol tweeted that they were assisting agencies in Bollinger County in search and recovery efforts near the village of Glen Allen, about 100 miles south of St. Louis. Twelve structures were destroyed and dozens more damaged, authorities said.

“The damage is pretty widespread. It’s just heartbreaking to see it,” Sgt. Clark Parrott of the Missouri Highway Patrol said. Crews had to use chainsaws to cut back trees and brush to reach homes, he said.

He added that the death toll might rise as crews sift through the rubble of homes.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson toured the storm damage area and said President Joe Biden called to assure him of federal help.

The twister caused significant destruction in and around Glen Allen and the neighboring small rural community of Grassy, Bollinger County Sheriff Casey A. Graham said in a post on his office's Facebook account. Graham noted he was withholding the names of the dead until their families were notified.

Larry Welker, Bollinger County’s public administrator, said the twister traveled along state Route 34 into Glen Allen, a village of slightly more than 100 people. “I’m getting reports that it was pretty bad,” he said.

National Weather Service meteorologist Justin Gibbs said it appeared initially that a tornado was on the ground for 15 minutes, traveling an estimated 15-20 miles.

Based on early data, the Glen Allen tornado received a preliminary EF-2 rating, packing wind speeds of 130 mph.

Watches, warnings, the EF scale and risk: How the National Weather Service talks tornadoes

Severe storms could also produce strong tornadoes and large hail across parts of Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky later on Wednesday, the weather service warned. A tornado watch remained in effect across portions of those states until early evening.

In Illinois, the weather service found evidence of an EF-2 tornado with maximum winds of 120 mph near Colona on Tuesday. A roof was torn off a gas station with a wall collapsed.

The latest line of destructive weather comes less than a week after dozens of tornadoes roared through the Midwest and South, killing more than 30 people and damaging thousands of homes and businesses. At least 63 people have been killed in this early part of the season for severe storms.

Farther north, blizzard conditions continued across parts of the Upper Midwest, primarily in the Dakotas and Minnesota.  And wintry weather also returned to New York and New England on Wednesday: Snow, freezing rain and sleet are possible in the region until Thursday morning.

'We heard the roaring sound of the wind'

Charles Collier, 61, spotted the coroner’s van driving by with its lights on in Glen Allen, where he owns a storage facility.

“That was a sad, sad sight, knowing there was bodies in there,” said Collier, who wasn’t entirely relieved when he saw his facility was spared. “I was just numb, thinking about all these other people, what they’re going through."

Another survivor, Josh Wells, said the tornado ripped half the roof off his Glen Allen home and pushed in his bedroom wall. Luckily, he wasn't home. Wells and his son fled beforehand to his sister’s house to take cover in the basement.

“We all ran down and huddled against the wall, and my brother-in-law made it down just seconds before we heard the roaring sound of the wind and debris crashing around us,” he said.

While Wells' sister’s home held up, the area reeked of gas because a propane unit was damaged.

Thursday's severe weather forecast

Conditions will improve across the central U.S. on Thursday as the big storm pushes

further north into Canada, the weather service said. The trailing cold front will approach the East Coast and northern Gulf Coast on Thursday while slowing down and weakening.

The severe threat will decrease on Thursday, and only isolated severe thunderstorms will be possible in the Mid-Atlantic and parts of Texas, where the Storm Prediction Center has issued a "marginal risk" (level 1/5) of severe storms.

Storms force ground stops, delays at airports

A ground stop had been in effect at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Texas because of morning storms, but planes were again flying as of late morning. According to FlightAware, delays continued to be reported at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports as of  late Wednesday.

DEATH TOLL REACHES 32:Tornadoes hit South, Midwest, East; more possible this week. Updates.

Same conditions that spawned last week's devastation fueled Wednesday storms

Last week's fierce storms that started Friday and continued into the weekend spawned deadly tornadoes in 11 states as the system swept across much of the South, Midwest and Northeast. The same conditions that fueled those storms – an area of low pressure combined with strong southerly winds – set up the severe weather Tuesday into early Wednesday, said Ryan Bunker, a meteorologist with the National Weather Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

Severe weather and tornado risks that spread across the Plains and Mississippi Valley on Tuesday moved east on Wednesday , impacting a stretch from the Great Lakes region to parts of the Appalachians and beyond.

WHAT DEFINES A BLIZZARD? Heavy snow and high winds expected to sweep across country.

WHAT IS A FLASH FLOOD WATCH OR WARNING?: Here's what to know about this deadly weather hazard

North, South Dakota struggle under blizzard conditions

Dozens of schools in South Dakota closed Tuesday because of blizzard conditions, and several school systems remained closed Wednesday. State executive branch offices were also closed in much of the state.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum signed off on $20 million Tuesday for emergency snow removal grants to localities.

Storms move farther east

The severe weather that rattled more than a dozen states on Tuesday moved east on Wednesday.    Areas at risk include parts of the Ohio Valley to the Great Lakes region and parts of the Appalachians. The areas could be at risk for hail, isolated tornadoes and damaging wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph.

US weather watches and warnings

Blizzard, winter storm conditions extend over the Plains, Midwest

A blizzard warning will remain in effect into Thursday morning in the Dakotas.  Up to 17 inches of snow with winds gusting up to 55 mph were possible in some areas.

Wintry weather again hits New York, New England

A winter weather advisory was in effect on Wednesday in parts of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The advisory will continue into Thursday morning across the region.

Snow accumulations were expected to reach up to 2 inches, and freezing rain and sleet could make travel treacherous in the area.

Sleet accumulations could reach up to 1 inch in parts of Maine and New Hampshire, and winds could gust up to 35 mph.

Isolated power outages and slippery travel are anticipated in these areas, the weather service said. Wintry precipitation will gradually taper off overnight and early Thursday morning.

Contributing: Francesca Block, Des Moines Register; Brian Manzullo, Detroit Free Press; The Associated Press

Winter storm map

National Weather Radar

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Missouri tornado recap: 5 deaths reported