Tornadoes

‘Supercell’ thunderstorms hit Illinois and Indiana, after eight people killed by tornadoes in US Midwest last week.

Two people have been killed in tornadoes in the Midwest region of the United States amid a spate of extreme weather, according to authorities.

At least four tornadoes touched down as intense “supercell” thunderstorms swept across northern Illinois and northwestern Indiana on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

“Supercells” are the rarest form of thunderstorms. They are known to be particularly devastating for their prolonged durations and their “high propensity to produce severe weather, including damaging winds, very large hail, and sometimes weak to violent tornadoes”, according to the NWS.

In Indiana, local officials said an elderly couple had been killed when a tornado hit their home in the town of Lake Village.

Several residents in the wider Newton County were rescued by emergency responders, as the storm knocked down at least 70 utility poles and left some roads impassable.

In a video posted to social media late Tuesday, Sheriff Shannon Cothran warned people about trying to access the damaged areas.

“Please do not come here. Do not try to help right now,” Cothran said, standing in front of the couple’s destroyed home.

Parts of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio remained on tornado watch into the afternoon.

About 40km (25 miles) east of Lake Village, another tornado touched down in Kankakee County, Illinois, late Tuesday.

Officials said the tornado caused extensive damage as it travelled across the suburb of Aroma Park. At least nine people were injured, but no deaths were reported, according to local officials.

Cassidy Sinwelski, 23, told The Associated Press that the storm hit Kankakee harder than expected.

She and her husband took shelter in their home’s bathroom.

“We went into the bathroom, got a piece of plywood, and within minutes, I closed my eyes, the lights flickered, and we just — there was nothing,” Sinwelski said.

Then came loud rumbles and the sound of shattering glass.

“I just kept crying out for God, because I didn’t know what else to do,” she said.

The latest round of extreme weather comes after eight people were killed by tornadoes in the US states of Michigan and Oklahoma last week.

March 7 (UPI) — Tornadoes that swept through Michigan and Oklahoma on Friday killed at least six people and injured several others, authorities said.

Sheriff Frederick Blankenship of Branch County, Mich., said the tornado that touched down in Union City, about 40 miles southeast of Kalamazoo, killed at least three people and injured 12 others, with three being hospitalized for their injuries.

Blankenship warned residents to expect power outages and interruptions to Internet and cellular networks.

Cass County Sheriff Clint Roach said a 12-year-old boy was killed and multiple other people were injured in Edwardsburg, Mich. Damage was also reported to multiple large structures, with some said to be entirely destroyed.

Jeffrey Moore, emergency manager for Okmulgee County, Okla., reported at least two people were killed by a tornado near Beggs, about 30 miles south of Tulsa.

Multiple injuries and damage to homes, buildings and trees were also reported in Three Rivers, a city in Michigan’s St. Joseph County, located about 25 miles from Union City. Videos captured in the city show debris flying through the air, and photos shared Saturday morning showed a trampoline stuck on power lines.

It was not yet clear Saturday whether a single tornado was responsible for the damage in Michigan or if there were multiple touchdowns.

Meteorologists said the Union City tornado appeared to have been caused by a nearby warm front.