(CNN) — One person has died as a result of storms Thursday in Fairdale, Illinois, said Patti Thompson, a state emergency management spokeswoman.
[Original Story]
(CNN) — Tornadoes tore through parts of Iowa, Illinois and Ohio on Thursday in what forecasters from the National Weather Service warned is a “particularly dangerous situation.”
People across the Midwest should be on alert for severe weather, the weather agency said, noting that a “large and extremely dangerous” twister was spotted near Camanche, Iowa at 5:46 p.m. (6:46 p.m. ET).
As reports of tornadoes in Illinois, Ohio and Iowa grew, ominous storm images quickly surfaced on social media.
In Rochelle, Illinois, there were “multiple reports of injuries and damage,” the Ogle County Sheriff’s dispatchers said.
People trapped inside home. I've seen 5 people pulled so far. I'm in the Rochelle area, path of tornado @13WREX http://t.co/FXpRDiILgb—
Lindsey Clark (@LindseyClarkk) April 10, 2015
Storm chaser Dan Gottschalk told CNN he observed “massive damage” north of Rochelle, spotting some homes with only their foundations remaining.
“You can hear the hissing everywhere from where the structures used to be,” he said.
More tornadoes were later reported near the Illinois community of Ashton, which also saw tennis ball-sized hail, and around Rockford, which is Illinois’ third largest city, about 85 miles northwest of Chicago.
Lee County, Illinois, which is about 50 miles south of Rockford, also had a tornado go through, county Emergency Management Agency Director Kevin Lalley said.
“We do have damage at this time,” Lalley said. “I’m trying to confirm the area of the image and the extent.”
Another tornado was reported south of Toledo, Ohio.
The twisters are part of a broader severe weather pattern that was expected to affect about 95 million people Thursday, including those in major cities such as Chicago and St. Louis.
Eight tornadoes were reported Wednesday in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri, the Storm Prediction Center said.
The National Weather Service indicated a tornado may have touched down in the small town of Potosi, Missouri, about 70 miles from St. Louis.
More storms are expected in the Midwest, Mississippi River Valley, Tennessee River Valley and near the southern Great Lakes, the Weather Service said.
