2 Arkansas tornadoes had winds of at least 110 mph

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

8 years ago

Lightning flashes in storm clouds over the village of Dunlap, Illinois, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017. A springlike storm churning across the Midwest poses a risk of more bad weather for millions of people. (Ron Johnson/Journal Star via AP)

A firefighter removes fallen tree branches from the road in Ottawa, Ill., on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017. Tornadoes touched down in the upper Midwest and northern Arkansas on Tuesday, in a spring-like storm system. (Nuccio DiNuzzo/Chicago Tribune via AP)

Emergency crews work the site where several structures were heavily damaged in downtown Naplate, Ill., Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017. Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has activated the state’s emergency operations center as local officials reported damage from tornados spawned by a late-winter storm system. (Allen Cunningham/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)

Debris rest on the ground after a storm moved through Naplate, Illinois, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017. Tornadoes touched down in the upper Midwest and northern Arkansas on Tuesday. (Chris Yucus/NewsTribune via AP)

OTTAWA, Ill. — The latest on severe weather affecting a large swath of the central U.S. (all times local):

10:25 p.m.

The National Weather Service has determined a tornado that struck Higginson, Arkansas, injuring four people, was an EF-1 storm with winds of up to 110 mph.

A weather service survey team checking debris patterns Wednesday determined Tuesday’s tornado path was 1½ miles long and 120 yards wide.

A survey team also determined a twister that struck near Kensett, Arkansas, on Tuesday was an EF-2 storm with winds of up to 115 mph. The survey team was still working to determine the length and width of that storm.

5:00 p.m.

The National Weather Service says the tornado that roared through Ottawa, Illinois, and the small village of Naplate packed winds up to 155 mph.

The weather service rated Tuesday’s tornado, which caused severe damage in Naplate and left one dead in Ottawa, an EF-3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale.

The weather service did not rule out the possibility that other tornados may have touched down in the area southwest of Chicago. Baseball sized hail was also observed in the area.

An EF-1 tornado was reported near the northern Illinois town of Oregon. Straight line winds of around 80 mph following the tornado caused additional damage.

In southern Illinois, an apparent twister of undetermined strength near the town of Crossville killed a 71-year-old man and injured his wife.

3:10 p.m.

The White House says President Donald Trump is monitoring severe weather that caused a string of tornadoes blamed for three deaths in the Midwest.

The deadly storm is moving to the East, and White House spokesman Sean Spicer says the president urges everyone in the storm’s path to follow directions from emergency services officials and stay inside.

Spicer says the White House will stay in touch with state and local officials to provide federal support as needed.

Hundreds of homes have been damaged or destroyed in storms that began Tuesday night. One man was killed in Missouri and two people died in Illinois.

2:50 p.m.

Authorities say a tornado that caused widespread damage in Missouri was a strong one that was on the ground for several miles.

National Weather Service meteorologist Rick Shanklin says the tornado that struck the area near Perryville, Missouri, Tuesday night was a strong one, though the wind speed has not yet been determined. Perryville Fire Chief Jeremy Triller says the twister was on the ground for up to 15 miles, starting in Missouri and ending in Illinois.

A 24-year-old Perryville man died when the vehicle he was in was blown off of Interstate 55 and he was ejected.

More than 100 homes in the area near Perryville were damaged, many of them destroyed. Twelve people were injured but none of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening.