Freak Twisters Ravage Midwest

Two killed in unseasonal storms

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 8, 2008 11:29 AM CST

(Newser) – A series of freak tornadoes touched down last night across the Midwest, killing two Missouri women and leaving a swath of destruction in their wake, CNN reports. Another person was killed when another twister hit Arkansas this morning. “I’ve never seen damage like this in the summertime,” said one Wisconsin sheriff. “To see something like this in January is mind-boggling.”

In one town, the storm destroyed at least 55 homes. The National Weather Service received 37 tornado reports last night; twisters apparently hit in Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma and along the Illinois-Wisconsin border. For Illinois, it was the first January twister since 1950. One resident said the tornado “just popped right out of the clouds” and another admitted he “prayed like a sissy.”

Lightning flashes through the sky as neighbors look through the wreckage of a home destroyed by a tornado near Niangua, Mo., Monday, Jan. 7, 2008. At least one person was killed Monday night when a tornado... (Associated Press)

Chuck Kurtenbach, left, and his neighbor James O'Neal look through the wreckage of O'Neal's home near Niangua, Mo., Monday, January 7, 2008. O'Neal's home was destroyed by a tornado that also killed another... (Associated Press)

An overturned car rests near a mobile home destroyed by an apparent tornado near Niangua, Mo., Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008. A woman living in a nearby trailer was killed in the storm Monday night, one of two... (Associated Press)

Volunteers work to move a filing cabinet found in the wreckage of a home destroyed by an apparent tornado near Niangua, Mo., Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008. Authorities began assessing damage Tuesday after rare... (Associated Press)

James O'Neal, right, and relatives and neighbors look through the wreckage of his home after it was destroyed by an apparent tornado near Niangua, Mo., Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008. Authorities began assessing... (Associated Press)

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Two killed in unseasonal storms

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Heartland Tornadoes Kill 7 in Arkansas

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Two killed in unseasonal storms

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OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Wisconsin • tornado • Arkansas • storm • Illinois • Missouri • Oklahoma

MOST POPULAR STORIES

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Heartland Tornadoes Kill 7 in Arkansas

Severe storms and hail also hit Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri

600K Lose Power in Icy Storm

15 fatalities reported; weather service warns of more storms tomorrow

13 Killed in Violent US Storms

Death toll in Oklahoma reaches eight, including one child

After Arkansas Tornado, One Town Is ‘Gone’

Violent storms bring month's death toll to 12 in the state

Toll Hits 47 in Southern Storms

Tornadoes, rain, hail pelt the region

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