Multiple fatalities and injuries have been reported after a tornado slammed southeastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri early Wednesday morning.
The exact number of fatalities and the extent and number of injuries were not immediately available, local media quoted Sergeant Clark Parrott with the Missouri State Patrol.
Glenallen, a town about 100 miles south of St. Louis in southeastern Missouri, took a direct hit from what Doppler radar indicated was likely a tornado of EF-2 or EF-3 strength at about 3:45 a.m. Wednesday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Storm Prediction Center.
There is a large debris field, and damage appears to be extensive, Missouri state emergency management officials said.
Severe weather and tornado risks are moving east. A band of the country from Louisiana to western New York could be at risk for severe thunderstorms on Wednesday, according to AccuWeather meteorologists. Dangerous winds and severe thunderstorms were possible in at least 10 states on Wednesday.
More than 45 million Americans are under tornado, severe thunderstorm or wind watches and advisories Wednesday.
Affected by severe weather, delays were reported at the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports Wednesday morning.
In the latest development, severe weather that spawned dozens of tornadoes slashed 11 states in the U.S. Midwest and South last weekend, killing more than 30 people and damaging thousands of homes and businesses.
