Nearly two dozen people were injured when tornadoes ripped through central Texas as part of a storm system expected to spawn more tornadoes and damaging winds on Wednesday.
The storms caused damage in Salado, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Austin.
Bell County Judge David Blackburn said 23 people were injured, one seriously. Twelve of the injured were taken to hospitals, Blackburn said. “There isn’t much left. Large trees have been uprooted, overturned…and there are buildings reduced to rubble. Power lines, power poles, are scattered everywhere. It’s devastating.”
Tornadoes were also spotted in Iowa, but there were no reports of serious injuries.
In Lincoln, Nebraska, powerful gusts of wind toppled tree limbs and damaged roofs. A possible tornado also caused damage in the small southern Minnesota town of Taopi, near the state line with Iowa.
Weather service crews were assessing damage in the area Wednesday. More tornadoes were 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, Memphis and Tennessee were among the cities that could experience the worst weather Wednesday, the Storm Prediction Center said.
