Predawn Missouri tornado kills at least 5, sows destruction

The twister caused significant destruction in and around the small rural communities of Glen Allen and Grassy, Bollinger County Sheriff Casey A. Graham said in a Facebook post. A hunting area separates the two communities.

At least five people were killed, Graham wrote, noting that he was withholding the names of the dead to make sure their families could be notified first.

"Please understand the scope of this operation," he said. "I know everyone wants updates and news of what happened. As your Sheriff, I am focused on ensuring those who still need help are receiving it, and we account for all our citizens."

Charles Collier, 61, said he saw the coroner's van drive by with its lights on in Glen Allen, where he owns a storage facility.

"That was a sad, sad sight -- knowing there was bodies in there," said Collier, who wasn't entirely relieved when he saw his facility was spared. "I was just numb, thinking about all these other people, what they're going through."

Josh Wells said that the tornado hit his house in Glen Allen, tearing half of his roof off and pushing his bedroom wall in. He added in a text that a propane storage unit in the area got damaged, and gas leaked for about an hour, "making the whole area smell of propane."

Justin Gibbs, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Paducah, Kentucky, said the tornado remained on the ground for roughly 15 minutes, traveling an estimated 15-20 miles (24-32 kilometers).

Schools in Little Rock, Arkansas, canceled Wednesday classes because the storms were expected to move through the area during the morning rush, KFVS-TV reported.

In central Illinois, authorities said five people were hurt and about 300 homes were without power due to a tornado that struck in Fulton County on Tuesday evening. Chris Helle, who directs the county's Emergency Services Disaster Agency, said one of the people injured was in critical condition.

Helle said the damage was concentrated near the town of Bryant, about 200 mile (322 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. Fire departments and other first responders were still cataloguing the damage there, but Helle said numerous homes had been destroyed. He credited people for listening to advance warnings and taking shelter.

Officials said another tornado touched down Tuesday morning in the western Illinois community of Colona. Local news reports showed wind damage to some businesses there.

Winds of up to 90 mph (145 kph) and baseball-sized hail also caused damage in the Quad Cities area of Iowa and Illinois.

The National Weather Service also received reports of semitrailers that had been tipped over by winds in Lee County, about 95 miles (153 km) west of Chicago.

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McFetridge reported from Des Moines, Iowa. Associated Press writers Margaret Stafford in Liberty, Missouri, Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas, and Trisha Ahmed in Minneapolis contributed to this report.