Millions of Americans are suffering from weather storms as a result of this week’s record heat and bitter cold. At the beginning of the week, 132 all-time daily record temperatures for February were established. On Tuesday and into Wednesday, however, a strong cold front tore across the Plains and Midwest, advancing into the Ohio River Valley, bringing with it violent thunderstorms that resulted in at least eight tornadoes in four states.
Along with powerful gusts that toppled trees and damaged structures, the severe weather pattern also produced multiple reports of huge hail. Following the low pressure system, summer-like temperatures were replaced by bitterly cold winter conditions and snowfall.
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Weather Storms: Areas Affected by Tornadoes?
On Tuesday, tornado sirens sounded throughout northern Illinois. Five tornadoes hit the Chicago area, and there may have been five more to the west of the city. On Wednesday, survey teams from the National Weather Service will assess the damage to ascertain the total. Additionally, one tornado was reported in Ohio and two in Michigan.
The National Weather Service in the Windy City recorded large hail, up to the size of golf balls in some cases, from the Chicago area west along the I-80 and I-88 corridors.
On Wednesday, the storm front is moving eastward, and in the morning, tornado watches have been issued for portions of central and eastern Kentucky as well as southeast Ohio. On Wednesday, severe weather is predicted for millions of Americans from eastern Tennessee to the US-Canada border in Vermont.