US midwestern states at risk of severe thunderstorms, weather agency warns

A stretch of the midwestern states is at risk of severe weather, forecasters warned on Friday, as tornadoes battered towns across the central US region, leaving behind debris and destroyed property.

According to the National Weather Service, severe thunderstorms may be seen in north-west Oklahoma through western Missouri during Friday afternoon and evening.

The storm system is capable of producing large hail, roughly the size of a baseball. A hailstone can reach speeds of up to 107mph (about 172km/h) as it falls to the ground, according to the NWS. The agency warned residents in affected areas to stay indoors and away from windows during any severe weather episodes.

Roughly 26 million people are under tornado watches from Wisconsin to Oklahoma, according to CNN. A rare “particularly dangerous situation” threat level was assigned to one tornado in Illinois and two in Wisconsin, the outlet reported.

Across social media, photographs and videos circulated showing the aftermath of the severe weather ravaging the central US.

A man in Stewartville, Minnesota, posted a video to Facebook on Friday of a block of homes in the neighborhood. One house’s window appeared to be blown out, while another’s garage door was caved in.

In Wisconsin, the Buffalo county sheriff’s office shared photographs of damage to a house’s roof with wooden debris strewn on the grass around it.

Friday’s storms came after the region faced days of tornadoes, hail and flooding.

In Milwaukee this week, flash flooding engulfed a freeway, leaving drivers stranded and the roadways shut down.

In Waukesha, another city of Wisconsin, a man died after being struck by lightning during thunderstorms.

Tony Evers, the Wisconsin governor, declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, which activated the joint mobilization of law enforcement, fire services, state agencies and emergency response groups.