According to Reuters, 21 injured people are being treated in two hospitals in the city, five people are in critical condition. Local media previously assumed at least 600 were injured, but that was quickly revised down.
The hurricane is part of a severe weather system that extends from the southern United States to the Great Lakes region in the north. A powerful spring storm is moving across the United States and can cause tornadoes, blizzards and freezing rain. The National Weather Service said severe weather threatens to hit the Great Plains, Midwest, South and East today and over the next two days.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for eastern and central Iowa, northwestern Illinois, northeastern Missouri, and the southwest corner of Wisconsin. It urged the 5 million people living in the region to prepare for multiple strong hurricanes Friday afternoon and evening. “This is a very dangerous situation,” he said.
Northeast Arkansas, the southern boot of Missouri, western Kentucky and Tennessee are also at risk for tornadoes, the weather service said. The weather service added that several Midwestern cities, including Chicago, could also be at risk from the storm. “There is a chance of some very strong tornadoes that could remain stationary for some time, especially in northern Arkansas and western Tennessee,” said John Virick, AccuWeather’s chief meteorologist.
Thunderstorms likely along a 1,000-mile front with strong winds, hail and heavy rain that could cause flooding, according to meteorologists. The colder north side of the storm, which stretches from the High Plains to the upper Great Lakes, could bring heavy snow, along with gusts of up to 50 mph.
The severe storm comes a week after thunderstorms spawned a tornado in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, killing 26 people.
