10 dead; roof collapse at theater

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Residents across the South and Midwest were picking up the pieces Saturday, after fierce tornadoes and storms ravaged multiple states, leaving at least 10 people dead, dozens injured and homes and businesses decimated.

There were at least 40 reports of tornadoes Friday across Arkansas, Iowa, Tennessee, Illinois Wisconsin and Mississippi, weather.com reported. And more than 28 million people were under a tornado watch at one point Friday, the National Weather Service said, which declared a level 5 “high risk” outlook for severe storms in some areas.

A theater roof collapsed Friday evening in Belvidere, Illinois, about 70 miles northwest of Chicago, amid an intense storm, killing one person and injuring 28.

About 260 people were attending a heavy metal concert at the Apollo Theatre when the storm struck, Belvidere Fire Department Chief Shawn Schadle said.

“Chaos, absolute chaos,” said Belvidere Police Chief Shane Woody in describing the scene.

Concertgoers scrambled to pull people from the rubble when parts of the roof gave in, Gabrielle Lewellyn said. “I was there within a minute before it came down,” she told WTVO-TV. “The winds, when I was walking up to the building, it went like from zero to a thousand within five seconds.”

At least one person was killed and more than two dozen were hurt, some critically, in the Little Rock area, officials said. Four people died in Wynne in northeastern Arkansas, which suffered heavy damage that left people trapped in debris.

Baptist Health Medical Center-Little Rock officials told KATV 21 people had checked in there with tornado-caused injuries, including five in critical condition. One woman was killed and three others were injured in Madison County, Alabama, according to WAFF-TV.

An intense storm caused three fatalities in Sullivan County, Indiana, Emergency Management Director Jim Pirtle said early Saturday. The storm destroyed homes, razing full neighborhoods, and some residents were missing in the county seat of Sullivan, about 95 miles southwest of Indianapolis. Sullivan County commissioners signed an emergency declaration early Saturday.

Five freight train cars overturned in Marshall county, Tennessee. Dozens of house were destroyed or damaged in central Tennessee and two people were rescued from a collapsed home, authorities said.

Wind gusts up to 54 mph also battered Oklahoma City, fanning the flames of several fires that led to widespread evacuations.

Saturday morning, over 200,000 households remained without power in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Georgia, according to poweroutage.us.

FRIDAY WEATHER RECAP:‘Large and destructive tornado’ hits near Little Rock; tornado emergency in Arkansas

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Severe weather forecast for the next 10 days

A similar pattern to the recent storms is expected to set up Tuesday, amplified by even greater heat and humidity, increasing the risk for severe weather, Victor Gensini, associate professor at Northern Illinois University, told USA TODAY.

If you wanted to draw a textbook severe weather configuration, “this would certainly be it,” he said. Between dry conditions to the west, and hot, wet conditions to the east, he expects to see a “pretty broad area of real estate” at risk on Tuesday afternoon and evening.

Yet another severe weather outbreak is possible the weekend of April 8-9.

“You can certainly take it to the bank here that over the next 10 days we will be way above average,” he said. “We’re going to have more casualties. … It’s just a matter of exactly where at this point.”

It’s crucial for residents to pay close attention to local meteorologists and to have a way to receive timely weather warnings, especially since many tornadoes occur at night.