Three Reported Dead As Tornadoes Rip Through Midwest

Three people are now dead after overnight storms across the Midwest.  

Recovery operations continue Wednesday morning. The National Weather Service reported that 22 tornadoes ripped through the states of Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, Indiana and Iowa.

The storm system crossed from Southwest Missouri to Indiana. In Arkansas, dozens had to be hospitalized. Most of Interstate 55 near Perryville, Missouri was closed overnight due to storm damage there. 

Authorities in Perry County said there were vehicles blown off I-55 and damages to houses along Highway 51. 

One person was killed in Perryville, about 80 miles south of St. Louis, when a tornado touched down around 8 p.m. Tuesday. The man was driving when a tornado blew up to 20 vehicles from a junkyard onto the Interstate.

Search and rescue crews were going door-to-door to check on people in the area where homes were damaged and were searching for anyone who may have been injured on the interstate.  

Authorities in Ottawa, Illinois, said another man was killed after being struck by a falling tree. Ottawa Police Captain Dave Gualandri said other residents in the town were injured.

There were lesser storms in our area overnight with hail as large as golf balls across the border in Kansas. News On 6 viewers from Claremore, Inola, Broken Arrow, McAlester and other cities shared photos of hail and wind damage.

3/1/2017 Related Story: Storms Leave Hundreds Without Power In Eastern Oklahoma

Severe thunderstorms are expected to spread across the Ohio and Tennessee Valley region and stretch into southern New England through Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service center.