Central US states hit by hailstorms and

tornadoes
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Reuters in Omaha

theguardian.com , Wednesday 4 June 2014 08.4 !S"

#loods in $rlington, %e&ras'a, on "uesday( storm)chasers re*orted at least eight
uncon+irmed tornado touchdo,ns in the state. -hotogra*h( Ryan Soderlin.$-
Se/ere storms are *ounding the central 0S, *roducing &ase&all)si1ed hailstones and
uncon+irmed re*orts o+ tornadoes, +orcing /oting to &e sus*ended during elections in 2o,a
and halting +lights at a %e&ras'a air*ort.
$ do1en *eo*le su++ered minor in3uries a+ter &eing struc' &y hailstones ,hile +leeing +or
co/er at a Walmart in !lair, %e&ras'a, north o+ Omaha, +ire chie+ 4ent %icholson said.
52t sounded li'e someone ,as drilling our &uilding ,ith a hammer. 2t ,as dea+ening,5 said
%icholson.
E**ley air+ield s*o'esman Joe Rotterdam said +lights had to &e halted +or +our hours on
"uesday. "hirty)three +lights ,ere cancelled on "uesday due to +lash +looding, gusting ,ind
and hail, he said.
Storm)chasers re*orted at least eight uncon+irmed tornado touchdo,ns in %e&ras'a, one in
2o,a and another in Wyoming, the %ational Weather Ser/ice said.
6ail also *elted *arts o+ Wyoming, the northern hal+ o+ %e&ras'a and the south),est corners
o+ South 7a'ota and 2o,a, it added.
8oting in 2o,a9s *rimary election ,as sus*ended late on "uesday a+ternoon in -otta,attamie
and :ontgomery counties as *oll ,or'ers, along ,ith /oters, sought shelter.
Winds re*orted at u* to ;0m*h <14='*h> tore roo+s o++ t,o motels in :issouri 8alley, 2o,a.
$ derecho ? a ,ide line o+ thunderstorms that *roduces damaging ,inds ? threatened the
region on "uesday night and ,as e@*ected to mo/e east on Wednesday morning, said
$ccuWeather.com senior meteorologist $le@ Sosno,s'i.
5"hese storms can 'noc' do,n trees, cause *o,er outages and tra/el mayhem +or the
Wednesday morning commute,5 he said.
%ational Storm -rediction Aentre +orecaster !ill !unting, in %orman, O'lahoma, said the
strongest storms could *roduce tornadoes, ,ith the *ossi&ility o+ ,inds o+ 1=m*h <21B'*h>
or more.
$ tornado ,atch ,as in e++ect on "uesday night +or much o+ %e&ras'a, south),est 2o,a and
north),est :issouri, ,hile central 2o,a ,as under a +lash +lood ,arning, the ,eather ser/ice
said.
On Wednesday, the storms ,ere e@*ected to mo/e into eastern :issouri, central 2llinois,
2ndiana, 4entuc'y, southern Ohio, *arts o+ "ennessee and West 8irginia, +orecasters said.
$ccuWeather.com said the storms could &ring =)10cm <t,o to +our inches> o+ rain, ,ith +lash
+looding *ossi&le in some areas.
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