Severe storms are pounding the central US, producing baseball-sized hailstones and unconfirmed reports of tornadoes, forcing voting to be suspended during elections in Iowa and halting flights at a Nebraskaairport.
A dozen people suffered minor injuries after being struck by hailstones while fleeing for cover at a Walmart in Blair, Nebraska, north of Omaha, fire chief Kent Nicholson said.
"It sounded like someone was drilling our building with a hammer. It was deafening," said Nicholson.
Eppley airfield spokesman Joe Rotterdam said flights had to be halted for four hours on Tuesday. Thirty-three flights were cancelled on Tuesday due to flash flooding, gusting wind and hail, he said.
Storm-chasers reported at least eight unconfirmed tornado touchdowns in Nebraska, one in Iowa and another in Wyoming, the National Weather Service said.
Hail also pelted parts of Wyoming, the northern half of Nebraska and the south-west corners of South Dakota and Iowa, it added.
Voting in Iowa's primary election was suspended late on Tuesday afternoon in Pottawattamie and Montgomery counties as poll workers, along with voters, sought shelter.
Winds reported at up to 90mph (145kph) tore roofs off two motels in Missouri Valley, Iowa. A derecho – a wide line of thunderstorms that produces damaging winds – threatened the region on Tuesday night and was expected to move east on Wednesday morning, said AccuWeather.com senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
"These storms can knock down trees, cause power outages and travel mayhem for the Wednesday morning commute," he said.
National Storm Prediction Centre forecaster Bill Bunting, in Norman, Oklahoma, said the strongest storms could produce tornadoes, with the possibility of winds of 135mph (217kph) or more.
A tornado watch was in effect on Tuesday night for much of Nebraska, south-west Iowa and north-west Missouri, while central Iowa was under a flash flood warning, the weather service said.
On Wednesday, the storms were expected to move into eastern Missouri, central Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, southern Ohio, parts of Tennessee and West Virginia, forecasters said.
AccuWeather.com said the storms could bring 5-10cm (two to four inches) of rain, with flash flooding possible in some areas.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/04/hailstorms-tornadoes-central-us-nebraska-iowa-wyoming
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