Monday marked the record-tying 11th straight day with at least eight tornadoes, and there’s no immediate end to the pattern in sight

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

At least one person was killed and 130 were injured as a rapid-fire line of tornadoes tore across Indiana and Ohio, packed so closely together that one crossed the path carved by another.

The storms were among 55 twisters that forecasters said may have touched down Monday across eight states stretching eastward from Idaho and Colorado.

Tuesday offered no respite, as a large and dangerous tornado touched down on the western edge of Kansas City, Kansas, late in the day, the National Weather Service office reported. “The heart of KC is in this tornado warning! This is a dangerous situation. TAKE SHELTER NOW!” the NWS Kansas City office tweeted.

The extent of the damage following the emergency was not immediately known.

The past couple of weeks have seen unusually high tornado activity in the US, with no immediate end to the pattern in sight.

Monday marked the record-tying 11th straight day with at least eight tornadoes in the US, said Patrick Marsh, a Storm Prediction Center meteorologist. The last such stretch was in 1980.

“We’re getting big counts on a lot of these days, and that is certainly unusual,” Marsh said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A home west of Celina, Ohio had its roof torn off by a tornado on Monday. Photograph: Ryan Snyder/AP

The storms overnight damaged homes, toppled trees, and left debris so thick that at one point, highway crews had to use snowplows to clear an interstate highway. At least half a dozen communities from eastern Indiana through central Ohio suffered damage, according to the National Weather Service. Trying to clear the debris in the middle of the night was a difficult task, complicated by darkness and downed power lines.

An 81-year-old man died in Celina, Ohio, when a vehicle entered his house , the mayor of Celina, Jeffrey Hazel, said. “There’s areas that truly look like a war zone,” the mayor added.



Of the 130 injured, more than two dozen were admitted to hospitals.

Some of the heaviest damage was reported just outside Dayton, Ohio.

In Vandalia, Ohio, about 10 miles (16km) outside of Dayton, resident Francis Dutmers, said he and his wife were headed for the basement and safety on Monday night when the storm hit with “a very loud roar”.

“I just got down on all fours and covered my head with my hands,” said Dutmers, adding that the winds blew out windows around his house, filled rooms with storm debris, and took down most of his trees.

Only a few minor injuries were reported in Dayton. Fire Chief Jeffrey Payne called that “pretty miraculous,” attributing it to people heeding early warnings. Sirens went off ahead of the storm.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A tornado touched down overnight in Trotwood, near Dayton, Ohio. Dayton Power & Light said 50,000 customers were without power. Photograph: Aaron Josefczyk/Reuters

Still, the response would require a “multi-day restoration effort”, Dayton Power & Light said in an early morning tweet. The company added later in the day that 50,000 customers remained without power.

Dayton also advised residents to boil their water after storms cut power to the city’s pump stations. Multiple schools in the area were closed or had delayed starts on Tuesday.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency in three hard-hit counties, allowing the state to suspend normal purchasing procedures and quickly provide supplies like water and generators.

Donald Trump tweeted support for Oklahoma early on Tuesday, where two were killed and 29 injured over the weekend. The president later approved an emergency declaration in Kansas.

Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Spoke with @GovStitt of Oklahoma last night from Japan because of the devastating tornadoes. Told him that @FEMA and the federal government are fully behind him and the great people of Oklahoma.

Outbreaks of 50 or more tornadoes are not uncommon, having happened 63 times in US history, with three instances of more than 100 twisters, said Marsh, the Storm Prediction Center meteorologist.

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But Monday’s swarm was unusual because it happened over a particularly wide geographic area and came amid an especially active stretch, he added.

As for why it’s happening, Marsh said high pressure over the south-east and an unusually cold trough over the Rockies are forcing warm, moist air into the central US, triggering repeated severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. Neither system is showing signs of moving.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest At least half a dozen communities from eastern Indiana through central Ohio suffered damage from overnight storms. Photograph: Ryan Snyder/AP

Scientists say climate breakdown is responsible for more intense and more frequent extreme weather such as storms, droughts, floods and fires, but without extensive study they cannot directly link a single weather event to the changing climate.