Communities across the Plains and Midwest are bracing for another round of dangerous weather after tornadoes and severe thunderstorms left a trail of damage on Monday, injuring several people and destroying homes.
Weather experts are cautioning that Tuesday afternoon and evening could bring another wave of severe storms featuring large hail, tornado activity, and destructive wind gusts to the same regions hit just one day earlier.
Kansas bore the brunt of Monday’s severe weather, with multiple counties reporting injuries and significant property damage. Franklin County authorities documented three people with minor injuries in rural areas approximately 50 miles southwest of Kansas City. The town of Ottawa experienced building damage but fortunately recorded no fatalities or injuries, according to local officials. Chelsea Picha, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service’s Topeka office, confirmed that a survey team would evaluate Ottawa-area damage on Tuesday to confirm whether tornado activity occurred.
Miami County also felt the storm’s impact, with two residents sustaining minor injuries while several homes were completely destroyed and multiple recreational vehicles and campers were flipped over, the sheriff’s office reported. Electrical service to Hillsdale was temporarily shut off as a safety precaution during cleanup operations.
Southern Minnesota experienced three confirmed tornado touchdowns, resulting in damage to agricultural properties, according to Jake Beitlich, a meteorologist from the Twin Cities weather office. The region also endured baseball-sized hail that damaged numerous vehicles.
Northwestern Wisconsin saw tornado activity near the village of Gilman, home to roughly 380 residents, though damage remained relatively minor, said Jeff Boyne, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service’s La Crosse office. Weather officials are still working to classify the tornado’s intensity rating. In southwestern Wisconsin, storms tore the roof from a manufactured home in Steuben, a community of about 120 people, though no injuries were reported statewide.
The severe weather’s aftermath forced numerous schools in the Madison area to cancel Tuesday classes due to widespread power outages. More than 25,000 Wisconsin customers remained without electricity Tuesday morning, according to poweroutage.us tracking data.
Weather officials are predicting substantial flooding along rivers and smaller waterways throughout the Upper Great Lakes region extending through week’s end. The most intense rainfall is anticipated overnight into Wednesday, with isolated flash flooding possible.
Meanwhile, Michigan faces its own weather-related emergency as Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued an emergency declaration Friday for the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex. Record March snowfall combined with recent rainfall has pushed water levels to dangerous heights. Additional pumps were deployed Monday to redirect water toward Lake Huron. As of 7 a.m. Tuesday, water levels measured just 7.68 inches below the structure’s top, state monitoring data showed.
