Millions still under tornado watches as severe storms batter Midwest, Southeast
CBSN
Hundreds of thousands of people were without power and millions remained under tornado watches Wednesday afternoon, as a violent storm system continued to track eastward. The severe weather tore through the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys earlier in the week, bringing heavy rain, hail and suspected tornadoes to a number of U.S. states, leaving its mark in debris.
Only a handful of injuries have been reported so far, with 10 being the highest injury count so far in a single place after storms slammed Jeffersonville, Indiana, overnight. One suspected storm-related death was reported in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where flooding hit on Monday.
A tornado watch was in effect for four counties in central Florida, with a combined population of almost 6.5 million, through at least 5 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. The watch area encompasses several big cities, including Orlando, Gainesville, Jacksonville and St. Augustine.
An American Airlines jet with 60 passengers and four crew members aboard collided with an Army helicopter Wednesday night while coming in for a landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport near Washington. The Black Hawk helicopter was carrying a crew of three. Officials said early Thursday that everyone on board both aircraft is believed dead, which would make it the deadliest U.S. air crash in nearly a quarter century.