Nick Ingram reported that after a day of severe weather damage from the Plains into the Midwest, forecasters told residents to expect another round of hazardous conditions Tuesday. Officials in multiple states described a range of effects from Monday’s storms, while meteorologists pointed to the possibility of another period of tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds as the next system moved in.
In Kansas, the sheriff’s office said several people suffered minor injuries after storms passed through on Monday. In rural Franklin County—about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City—three people sustained minor injuries, according to the sheriff’s office. In Ottawa, a city of about 13,000 people, officials reported structural damage but said there were no deaths or injuries, while power lines, trees and multiple businesses were affected, including one where outside walls were gone.
Chelsea Picha, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s office in Topeka, said a National Weather Service survey team would assess damage in the Ottawa area on Tuesday to determine whether a tornado passed through. The National Weather Service’s assessment would establish whether officials should treat the damage as consistent with a tornado’s track and intensity, she said.
In neighboring Miami County, the sheriff’s office reported two people with minor injuries. It also said several homes were destroyed, and recreational vehicles and campers were overturned, with power lines de-energized in Hillsdale until cleanup could be completed safely.
Across the region’s northern states, Minnesota’s Twin Cities office reported additional tornado activity. Jake Beitlich, a meteorologist there, said three tornadoes touched down in southern Minnesota, where some damage to farms was reported, and he added that there were reports of baseball-sized hail that damaged vehicles in the area.
Wisconsin saw tornado reports as well. Jeff Boyne, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s La Crosse, Wisconsin office, said a tornado touched down near Gilman, a village of about 380 people in northwestern Wisconsin, though he characterized the damage as minor. Boyne also said the Weather Service was still working to determine the tornado’s rating, and he noted that storms peeled the roof off a manufactured home in Steuben, a village of about 120 people in southwestern Wisconsin, with no reports of injuries in the state.
In the Madison area, some schools were forced to close Tuesday morning because of power problems. More than 25,000 customers were without power in Wisconsin on Tuesday morning, according to poweroutage.us, as crews worked through outages tied to storm damage.
In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency Friday at the Cheboygan Lock and Dam Complex as record snowfall in March and recent rain elevated water levels. As of 7 a.m. Tuesday, the water level was 7.68 inches (19.5 centimeters) below the top of the structure, according to a state website, and officials said more pumps were being added on Monday to help move water toward Lake Huron.
Forecasters also warned about flooding risk in the Upper Great Lakes, including significant river and small stream flooding through the end of the week. The heaviest rainfall was expected overnight into Wednesday, with scattered flash flooding possible.
The anticipated second round of storms—tornadoes, large hail and severe wind gusts—followed Monday’s reported damage across multiple states, with authorities still assessing tornado impacts even as they prepared for the next forecast window.