Storms skipped through what is often called “Tornado Alley” in the U.S. Central and Southern Plains on Saturday and into yesterday, but the high winds and dozens of tornadoes mostly struck rural areas, sparing the region from worse damage.
The storms left thousands without power in Kansas, hit an aircraft fuselage production facility, and damaged up to 90 percent of homes and buildings in a small Iowa town. The governors of Kansas and Oklahoma declared states of emergency.
The stormy weekend wasn’t over for the Midwest. The National Weather Service declared tornado watches in Arkansas through Missouri and into a corner of Illinois, as well as in parts of Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. But the likelihood of the most destructive tornadoes was low.
