Photos show destruction after storm rips through central US, causing tornadoes
Several states in the central U.S. were hit hard overnight by a deadly storm that reportedly caused flash flooding and even destructive tornadoes.
More than a dozen twisters ripped across Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri overnight Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center, leaving at least three people dead and several others injured.
A suspected tornado also hit the Oklahoma city of Owasso on Wednesday, damaging buildings, topping utility poles, and uprooting trees. The path of destruction stretched about 11 miles in the city outside Tulsa.
But officials are only beginning to account for the tolls wrought by the powerful storm, which continues to pose a threat Thursday morning.
The destructions comes after dozens of tornado watches and warnings were in effect Wednesday night from northeastern Texas to Ohio, including Indianapolis. The storm caused baseball-sized hail to fall across Mississippi, Arkansas, and Tennessee, prompted delays at major airports from Chicago to Dallas and left hundreds of thousands of homes without power.
What's more, the threat is far from over, as 30 million people from Texas to Ohio were still at risk Thursday of powerful tornadoes and major flooding. As of Thursday morning, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee were all still under state of emergencies.
Here's a look at photos of the destruction:
See photos of damage after storm hits central US
Map of active tornado watches, flood watches
Contributing: James Powel, Michael Loria, Dinah Voyles Pulver, Paste BN