Storms Cause Damage In Midwest, South; Hundreds Of Thousands Without Power

Hundreds of thousands of people were without power and damage was reported to homes and cars as storms and severe weather raked across parts of the Midwest and South Sunday night.

The storms were part of severe weather that threatened states including Oklahoma, Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Arkansas and Kentucky.

“The line of storms is going to continue to move eastward overnight, impacting major cities like Nashville, Columbus, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Jackson and Birmingham by Monday morning,” weather.com digital meteorologist Sara Tonks said “Overnight tornadoes are still a possibility, especially for portions of the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys. Make sure you have a way to get alerts before going to sleep if you are in the path of the storms.

Here are our live updates as the storms played out Sunday afternoon and evening:

(08:24 p.m. EDT) Airlines Waive Change Fees

Some major airlines including Southwest and United are waiving any change fees and allowing passengers to rebook flights in areas in the path of the severe weather.

Rules and flight routes affected vary by airline but include airports in Chicago and Harlingen, Texas, for Southwest. United’s listing includes flights today at airports in Chicago, Indianapolis and Minneapolis, and tomorrow in Boston, Baltimore, Washington, New York and Philadelphia.

(08:11 p.m. EDT) Michigan College Campus Issues Shelter In Place Order

Students and other personnel at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids were told to shelter in place this evening when the area was placed under a tornado warning.

The all clear was given about an hour later.

(07:58 p.m. EDT) Why Wear A Helmet In A Tornado Warning?

“You definitely can lower your risk of these severe injuries by wearing a helmet,” emergency room physician Dr. Chris Davlantes told us in a recent interview. “It’s one of these critical but very much overlooked safety features or measures that people don’t think about.”

The reason? Head injuries are the No. 1 cause of death from tornadoes.

You can read more here about why helmets are an important part of your emergency preparedness kit.

(07:40 p.m. EDT) Freezing Rain, Power Outages In Michigan

Freezing rain knocked down trees and power lines across parts of Michigan, contributing to more than 275,000 power outages currently being reported by PowerOutage.us. Most are across the northern part of the state.

Jesika Fox told the Associated Press she and her husband drove more than 40 minutes from their home in Alpena, Michigan, to find fuel for a generator after they lost power last night.

“We just passed a veterinary clinic. The entire front corner of the building was taken out by a tree,” Fox said.

(07:31 p.m. EDT) Wet Mess At MLB Game Between White Sox And Angels

From the Associated Press:

A fast-moving storm that caused a delay during Sunday’s Angels-White Sox game created a headache for the grounds crew at Rate Field.

It began to pour when a storm rolled over the ballpark with the game tied at 2 in the bottom of the seventh inning. The crew rushed out to the tarp, but the workers weren’t able to pull it over the entire infield and the area around the first base line was exposed to the weather.

The crew used a patchwork of smaller tarps to cover as much of the area as it could. When the rain stopped, the crew began to work on the infield with bags of drying material.

The game resumed after a delay of nearly three hours.

(07:20 p.m. EDT) Tornado Watch Vs. Tornado Warning – Know The Difference

A tornado watch or severe thunderstorm watch is issued when conditions are favorable for severe weather. It should be considered a heads-up to pay close attention to your forecast and weather alerts, and have a plan to shelter if needed.

A tornado warning or severe thunderstorm warning happens when either of those events are taking place. A warning means you need to take action immediately, including sheltering in a safe place.

(07:08 p.m. EDT) Wind Gust Over 95 MPH Reported In Michigan

(06:54 p.m. EDT) Hundreds Of Thousands Without Electricity

More than 103,000 power outages are being reported across Indiana, according to PowerOutage.us. Most are in the northern part of the state where severe weather caused damage to cars and homes in at least one community.

Each power outage represents a single account that can include multiple people in one household or building.

(06:45 p.m. EDT) Flooding Is An Issue, Too

Late this afternoon, a flash flood emergency was issued for parts of Harrison and Jackson counties in southern Mississippi. Storms threatened to dump up to 4 inches of rain on top of 1-2 inches that had already fallen.

(06:30 p.m. EDT) Trees Down, Homes Damaged In Mishawaka, Indiana

Photos posted to social media show damage in St. Joseph County, Indiana, about 78 miles southeast of Chicago.

The poster notes there are trees on houses and cars, and roofs are damaged.

(06:28 p.m. EDT) This Ramp Up In Severe Weather Is Right On Cue

“The ongoing tornado threat is standard for spring, especially as we creep closer to April, which kicks off the most active season for tornadoes in the United States of the year,” Tonks said. “The threat peaks this time of year because there is a perfect storm of severe weather ingredients. Leftover winter cold in Canada clashes with warm, moist air from the Gulf, fueling a strong jet stream and propelling intense low-pressure systems capable of packing highly variable weather conditions.”

Weather.com staff writer Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.

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