A swarm of tornadoes unleashed a trail of destruction across parts of the Midwest on Monday with severe storms sweeping away houses, trees and power lines as the nation commemorated Memorial Day to pay homage to US military veterans.
Many Midwesterners hoped to mark the Day with outdoor festivities, which are more typically associated with the holiday, but were warned to take shelter instead as tornado watches and warnings spread across the region, AccuWeather reports.
According to the National Weather Service's (NWS) Storm Prediction Center website, over 50 tornados had reportedly touched down in the central states, including Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, northeast Colorado and western Nebraska.
On Monday night, the tornadoes also shifted to Ohio leaving huge destruction throughout Dayton.Tornado watches and warnings were issued across the region throughout Monday. Many local residents were told to take shelter.
The NWS latter rated the tornado as a "high end" EF1 with maximum sustained winds around 110 mph (miles per hour).
Damaging hail, strong winds and heavy rain also moved into the region with the storms.Meanwhile, residents in the Central states are further expected to face another round of severe weather and the threat for tornadoes on Tuesday.