Millions of people in the Midwest have been placed under extreme weather warnings, with the National Weather Service confirming an ‘extremely dangerous’ tornado in Wisconsin.
At around 5pm CDT, the tornado was located 6 miles northeast of Weston, which is near Green Bay. The twister was said to be moving 35 miles per hour and has already torn through at least five towns, according to the NWS.
‘A large and extremely dangerous tornado has been confirmed. Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a well-built building. If in a mobile home, vehicle, or outdoors, move to the closest structure and protect yourself from flying debris,’ the weather service warned residents.
‘Mobile homes will be destroyed. Considerable damage to homes, businesses, and vehicles is likely and complete destruction is possible,’ the NWS added.
As of 6:45pm CDT, the areas under active tornado warnings include Rock County in south central Wisconsin, Southern Hancock and Knox Counties in west central Illinois and parts of St. Clair County in Missouri.
Small towns in Missouri south and southeast of Kansas City, including Butler, Rich Hill, Rockville, and Foster, are also at risk of getting hit by tornados. These areas could also get pelted with hail as large as two inches across, according to the NWS.
Storms will continue to develop from Wisconsin to Texas throughout Friday evening, according to weather forecasts.
More than 50 million people live in this stretch of the country, which is about to be hurricane-level winds and thunderstorms, according to Fox Weather.
A picture provided to the Daily Mail of a tornado near massive tornado that was near the Illinois towns of Chester and Marion on Friday
Pictured: A tornado spotted near Rochester, Minnesota, on Friday afternoon
Debris from a home in Union Center, Wisconsin, that was destroyed by a tornado on Tuesday. Severe storms have been hitting the Midwest all throughout the week
People in affected areas have already shared photos of houses and other structures that were ravaged by the storms, which have been going on intermittently throughout the week.
A storm chaser, only identified as Matt, shared a video with the Daily Mail of a massive tornado that was near the Illinois towns of Chester and Marion. A large tornado was also spotted in the afternoon near Rochester, Minnesota.
There have also been reports that there are children hunkering down in an elementary school in Lena, Illinois, where another tornado has struck.
A tornado warning had been issued for Lena, as well as nearby Freeport and Orangeville by the NWS.
According to radio traffic from Stephenson County, local officials were contacted by the NWS about a large and ‘extremely dangerous’ tornado west of Lena. A short time later, those same officials were discussing ‘quite a bit’ of damage, according to CBS News.
No injuries were reported in Lena and students were kept safe inside the impacted elementary school according to the radio traffic. The school’s exterior though was severely damaged, per chatter from officials.
The Daily Mail approached the Stephenson County Sheriff’s Office for comment on the conditions in Lena.
There were also reports of a tornado touching down in Belton, Missouri, a town just south of Kansas City.
Pictured: Downed trees in Ann Arbor, Michigan, from Tuesday’s storm
Eleven states are at risk of severe thunderstorms, flooding and tornados on Friday
The siding from multiple homes in the neighborhood have been ripped off, according to FOX 4.
Trash cans and other debris was seen scattered around the sidewalks and streets. Belton officials have said they are aware of the damage, urging residents to call 911 if they are experiencing an emergency.
Tornados, though dangerous, are isolated to the areas they form in. The chief concern for the millions of people living under storm watches are the thunderstorms and the ensuing floods.
Meteorologists with AccuWeather warned that the highest risk of severe thunderstorms will be seen in Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and Kansas.
Major cities, including Chicago, Minneapolis, St Louis, Kansas City, Madison, Wichita, Oklahoma City and Dallas, are expected to experience severe thunderstorms imminently.
The NWS has issued various flood warnings and watches, including in central and west Michigan, much of Wisconsin, the Chicago area of Illinois, and parts of Kansas and Missouri.
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski said in a statement: ‘People in the path of these storms should stay alert and be ready to act.’
‘Make sure your phone is charged, alerts are on, and your storm shelter or safe place is ready and stocked with emergency supplies. Never drive on flooded roads, especially at night,’ Pydynowski added.
