Tornadoes barrel across Midwest, Southeast
(AP)
Updated: 2005-11-16 22:52

Nearly three dozen tornadoes ripped through the Midwest, part of a huge line of thunderstorms that destroyed homes and killed at least two people.

This NOAA satellite image taken Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2005 at 2:15 a.m. EST shows clouds associated with a strong cold front from a low pressure system centered over the Great Lakes region. The cold front is producing major downpours from the Southeast through to Ohio. A Tornado Watch is in effect for eastern Kentucky and Tennessee as the environment is favorable for tornado development. Winter Weather Statements and High Wind Advisories are in effect for much of the Upper Midwest as cold air and high winds plauge the region. [AP]

"We heard a weird sound coming through, kind of a whistle," said Penny Leonard, 37, who sought shelter in the basement of a hospital Tuesday in the western Kentucky town of Madisonville. "I thank God I'm safe."

Meteorologists said a cold front moving rapidly east collided with warm, unstable air from the south on Tuesday to produce the thunderstorms that stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes, spawning funnel clouds and tornadoes in parts of Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois and Tennessee.

The National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center had preliminary reports of at least 35 tornadoes in the five states, spokeswoman Peggy Stogsdill said Wednesday at the center in Norman, Okla.

It was the third outbreak of twisters this month. One tornado on Nov. 6 killed 23 people in southern Indiana, and nine tornadoes struck Iowa on Saturday, killing one woman.

Roofs of homes were caved in, walls were blown out and entire buildings were blown off foundations in parts of Madisonville on Tuesday.

One storm-related death was reported in Madisonville, but details weren't available, said Lori King, public information officer for the Marshall County Emergency Management Services. Twenty-two people were treated for injuries, said Jayne Barton, a spokeswoman for the Regional Medical Center in Madisonville.

Along with tornadoes, thunderstorms in Indiana produced wind of more than 100 mph and as much as 2 inches of rain, causing scattered flooding, said meteorologist Jason Puma at the weather service in Indianapolis.

A teenager was killed when her car went out of control on a flooded road and overturned east of Indianapolis, Hancock County Sheriff's Dept. Sgt. Bridget D. Foy said.

In Tennessee, even Henry County's emergency officials had to scramble for shelter when their office was struck by a tornado. They moved into an office in the courthouse in Paris, about 90 miles west of Nashville.

"Numerous homes there were damaged, some completely destroyed," Henry County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Faye Scott said. "It's major destruction."

Brenda Magee, who lives in Paris, was just arriving at work at a furniture factory when the storm system hit.

"They told us to get inside," she said. "We were there for about 10 minutes under tables, dust and everything swirling around. It was a big roar."

The Henry County Medical Center treated 13 people and admitted two with non-life-threatening injuries, said spokeswoman Sandra Sims.

In Tennessee's Montgomery County, four mobile homes, a camper and two houses were destroyed at Cunningham, just south of Clarksville.

"It looks like a war zone," said Ted Denny, spokesman for the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department.

At the colder northern end of the storm system, snow fell across parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan on Wednesday. At least three people were killed in crashes on slippery Minnesota roads on Tuesday, police said.