Millions across the central United States are bracing for another day of dangerous weather as severe storms and tornadoes threaten the region on Tuesday (April 14). The latest round of hazardous weather comes just one day after tornadoes and baseball-sized hail battered parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Kansas, causing widespread damage and power outages.

More than 50 million people from the Texas-Mexico border to the Great Lakes are at risk of severe storms. Major cities such as Chicago, Milwaukee, Des Moines, and Oklahoma City are under a Level 3 out of 5 risk for large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes. The threat has shifted slightly south from where powerful winds blew roofs off several buildings on Monday, including the collapse of a nursing home roof in Lodi, Wisconsin.

Monday’s storms produced over a dozen tornado reports in eastern Kansas, northern Iowa, southern Minnesota, and northern Wisconsin. In Miami County, Kansas, a tornado damaged or destroyed about 100 buildings, including homes and businesses. Undersheriff Matthew Kelly said, "Around 50 to 60 of the structures were 'completely destroyed' or significantly damaged," with most of the impact in the town of Hillsdale. Fortunately, there were no fatalities and only one minor injury reported. Emergency crews searched affected properties overnight and into the morning.

Another tornado hit Linn County, Kansas, demolishing several buildings in a lake community southeast of Mound City. Emergency management director Randy Hegwald reported only a few minor injuries in that area. Power outages affected more than 70,000 customers in Wisconsin overnight, according to PowerOutage.us.

The National Weather Service expects supercell thunderstorms to develop from central Iowa to southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, with the potential for hail up to softball size and strong tornadoes rated EF2 to EF3 or higher. The storms could also bring damaging winds across Michigan, northern Ohio, and Indiana.

Flooding is an additional concern, especially in water-logged areas of northern Michigan and Wisconsin where rivers are already high from recent rainfall and melting snow. Firefighters in Suamico, Wisconsin, rescued three people from a flooded home. Authorities in Michigan are urging residents near the Cheboygan County Lock and Dam to prepare for possible evacuations as water levels rise dangerously close to the top of the dam, according to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Forecasters say the severe weather pattern is expected to continue through the week, with more rounds of storms and flooding possible before a weather pattern change brings relief starting Sunday.

Theresa

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