A major outbreak of severe thunderstorms, accomponied by swarms of tornados, has scythed across the states of Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. The storms first developed in Southern Indiana, but fuelled by tropical like conditions mixing with colder air, and winds converging from the north and the south from the Gulf of Mexico, the storms quickly erupted into severe thunderstorms, and some evolved further into supercell thunderstorms-the deadliest of storms. These are packed with very strong winds, very dangerous lightning, and can produce baseball size hail and tornados. The environment was perfect for this situation.
The first tornado touched down at 15:43 at Madison County in Alabama, and others quickly followed, and the storms raced across the state, in some cases at speeds of up to 70 mph. The town of Marysville in south east Indiana, is according to police radio comments "gone"-it was totally levelled, and the nearby town of Henryville was severly damaged.
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As the minutes ticked on, the number of tornados touching quickly soared, cutting a swaythe through countryside and towns-in some cases, winds were reported to have reached nearly 200 mph. And there were reports that the town of Pekin in Indiana was hit twice in quick succession. And as the system continued to move in a east/north-eastern direction, the number of tornados touching down suddenly soared. A multiple vortex tornado was also reported, and is at the moment rated as an EF-4 tornado. An EF-5 is the most powerful tornado. Amongst the deaths reported, which stands at 18 at the moment, the most tragic was the discovery of a mother with her two babies. However there are still many people unaccounted for.
Fears were heightened after a school which had students still inside in Henryville, was severely damaged. Somehow though, there were no reports of casualties. A maximum security prison also took a hit, with the roof being ripped off, but there were no escapes, deaths or injuries.
As it stands at this moment, since the first touchdown , there are 83 reported tornados touching down since 15:43 GMT. However, the storm system moved at such a speed, it is thought that one tornado may have been reported twice, such was the speed. And on top of that, some of the tornados were "jumpers". These are tornados that touchdown, then rise back up into the wall cloud, then touch down again-as seen in the film Twister.
However, it is not over yet. The tornado watches are set to continue until 0:35-04:00 am, and some of the storms are expected to intensify and produce more dangerous tornados as the system heads eastwards. This is especially deadly as they cannot be seen at night, and can only be spotted by equipment. Another tornado has already touched down in Kentucky.
To put things in perspective, the 10 year average for tornados is 87. And this fresh onslaught of storms came just two days after as many as 35 tornadoes touched down in the US in a single 24-hour period. Six people were killed in Harrisburg, Illinois, when a twister ripped through the town centre. A hundred more people were injured. Meanwhile, in Harveyville, Kansas, about half the town of 240 people was destroyed by a tornado. One person died.
The first tornado touched down at 15:43 at Madison County in Alabama, and others quickly followed, and the storms raced across the state, in some cases at speeds of up to 70 mph. The town of Marysville in south east Indiana, is according to police radio comments "gone"-it was totally levelled, and the nearby town of Henryville was severly damaged.
As the minutes ticked on, the number of tornados touching quickly soared, cutting a swaythe through countryside and towns-in some cases, winds were reported to have reached nearly 200 mph. And there were reports that the town of Pekin in Indiana was hit twice in quick succession. And as the system continued to move in a east/north-eastern direction, the number of tornados touching down suddenly soared. A multiple vortex tornado was also reported, and is at the moment rated as an EF-4 tornado. An EF-5 is the most powerful tornado. Amongst the deaths reported, which stands at 18 at the moment, the most tragic was the discovery of a mother with her two babies. However there are still many people unaccounted for.
Fears were heightened after a school which had students still inside in Henryville, was severely damaged. Somehow though, there were no reports of casualties. A maximum security prison also took a hit, with the roof being ripped off, but there were no escapes, deaths or injuries.
As it stands at this moment, since the first touchdown , there are 83 reported tornados touching down since 15:43 GMT. However, the storm system moved at such a speed, it is thought that one tornado may have been reported twice, such was the speed. And on top of that, some of the tornados were "jumpers". These are tornados that touchdown, then rise back up into the wall cloud, then touch down again-as seen in the film Twister.
However, it is not over yet. The tornado watches are set to continue until 0:35-04:00 am, and some of the storms are expected to intensify and produce more dangerous tornados as the system heads eastwards. This is especially deadly as they cannot be seen at night, and can only be spotted by equipment. Another tornado has already touched down in Kentucky.
To put things in perspective, the 10 year average for tornados is 87. And this fresh onslaught of storms came just two days after as many as 35 tornadoes touched down in the US in a single 24-hour period. Six people were killed in Harrisburg, Illinois, when a twister ripped through the town centre. A hundred more people were injured. Meanwhile, in Harveyville, Kansas, about half the town of 240 people was destroyed by a tornado. One person died.