The National Weather Service said it received more than a dozen reports of tornadoes Wednesday across northern Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Illinois. Trees and utility wires were reported down across the region.
In Des Moines, Iowa, a 54-year-old man died at a homeless encampment in a park after being hit by a tree that “broke apart and fell during strong storms,” police said in a statement. The man was found critically injured Thursday morning and died at the scene, authorities said. There were no immediate reports of other deaths or injuries from the storms.
Severe weather was expected to continue in the region on Thursday, while the Northeast and mid-Atlantic were bracing for high heat and humidity as well as a slight risk of strong storms through Friday, according to the weather service.
Storm damages animal shelter in Illinois
Residents of Springfield, Illinois, believe a tornado touched down in their area late Wednesday. Two buildings at the Animal Protective League animal shelter in Springfield were heavily damaged, but none of the nearly 150 cats and 28 dogs housed there were injured, said Deana Corbin, the group's executive director.
“It pretty much wiped out our shelter facility, took the roofs off both of our buildings,” Corbin said. “It’s a miracle. We were so blessed to not have any injuries of either people or animals.”
The community pitched in to take in all the cats and dogs temporarily, including a local animal control center, veterinarians and residents, she said.
Damage also was reported at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield.
Weather service meteorologist Frank Pereira said the frontal system that produced the storms, including high winds and hail, was moving eastward Thursday, fueled by cool air from Canada clashing with warm, humid air from the South.
“Going forward, we’re expecting another area of severe weather to develop across portions of the central Plains, Midwest, particularly from Iowa, northern Missouri, northeastward through the Great Lakes,” Pereira said. “Again, it’s all tied into a pretty well-defined frontal system.”
Tornado warnings were issued in Iowa north of Des Moines on Thursday morning as strong storms hit the area. The weather service also posted tornado watches for parts of northern Missouri, eastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois.
The two major Chicago airports, Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport, temporarily put all flights on hold Wednesday evening due to thunderstorms. A similar ground stop was issued at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York due to thunderstorms.
By Wednesday evening, more than 1,000 flights going into and out of Chicago had been delayed or canceled, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking website.
Air traffic appeared to return to normal Thursday morning, with only 25 flight cancellations nationwide, although there were 300 delays, FlightAware reported. Delays jumped to more than 500 by early afternoon. The Federal Aviation Administration said it expected thunderstorms to cause more flight delays Thursday.
