(NewsNation) — Eight tornadoes were reported in Iowa and Texas as part of a storm system that was expected to spawn more twisters and damaging winds Wednesday.
Several tornadoes confirmed by the National Weather Service left 23 people injured and caused widespread damage in Central Texas north of Austin on Tuesday, officials said.
Of those hurt, 12 were transported to local hospitals, including one in critical condition, County Judge David Blackburn said late Tuesday. The other 11 either did not go to the hospital or were treated and already released.
“There’s not much left,” Blackburn said. “Large trees are uprooted and overturned and stripped. Buildings really reduced to rubble. … Power lines, power poles, are scattered all over the place. It’s pretty devastating.”
No deaths have been reported. Photos on social media showed grapefruit-size hail associated with that storm.
In Iowa, at least two tornadoes touched down on Tuesday. The tornadoes hit in the west and northwest portions of Humboldt County near Gilmore City and Bradgate and in Pocahontas County.
The National Weather Service offices in Des Moines, Omaha and Lacrosse, Wisconsin, issued at least a dozen tornado warnings. No serious injuries were reported from either tornado.
The National Weather Service said the twister with winds of more than 110 mph took the roofs off houses, destroyed grain bins, snapped power lines and lifted a house off its foundation in Taopi, Minnesota late Tuesday.
The severe weather also caused damage in Spring Valley in Fillmore County and other parts of southeastern Minnesota, the National Weather Service in La Crosse, Wisconsin said.
More tornadoes were in the forecast Wednesday for parts of the mid-South and in the Mississippi River Valley, the Storm Prediction Center said.
Hurricane-force winds, intense tornadoes and large hail were possible in Arkansas, Illinois, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, Mississippi, Indiana, Louisiana and Alabama, forecasters said. Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee, were among the cities that could see the worst weather Wednesday, the Storm Prediction Center said.
More than 60 million Americans remain in the storm’s path from Minnesota to the Gulf Coast.
BLIZZARD
The North Dakota Capitol in Bismarck, along with scores of schools, government offices and roads, remained closed Wednesday as a blizzard continued to bear down on the state.
A blizzard warning remained in effect through Thursday. Up to 2 feet of snow was forecast for western and central North Dakota. The blizzard warning extended into eastern Montana and the northwestern corner of South Dakota.
“This is nutso,” Karley Gosch said as she braved the strong winds and pelting snow in Mandan, North Dakota.