70+ Tornadoes And Counting – Major November Outbreak Not Over Yet

* SPC reports 76 separate tornado touch-downs as of 4:41 PM CST. Major damage reported near Peoria from a violent tornado.   Two deaths and two injuries reported in New Minden, IL from a Preliminary EF4 tornado. Details below.

* Moving forward: Highest risk of tornadoes extends from eastern Indiana into western Ohio and northern Kentucky, where a PDS (Particularly Dangerous Situation) Tornado Watch remains posted until 8 PM.  Tornado watches posted as far north as Michigan, as far east as Ohio (valid until Midnight).  The greatest short-term risk appears to extend from Toledo and Cincinnati to Louisville, Kentucky.  This event should transition into a straight-line wind event, with wind damage overnight as far east as Cleveland, even Pittsburgh late.

* This is the latest in the season, and the farthest north we’ve ever had a “High Risk” of tornadoes, as defined by NOAA SPC.

* O’Hare and Midway are both experiencing significant delays due to powerful straight-line winds behind today’s violent squall line. Winds have been clocked as high as 55 mph at O’Hare in the last hour.

Check out this video showing the destruction around Gifford, IL courtesy Brett Adair.

This is a preliminary count, but this may be an historic outbreak of tornadoes for the month of November across the USA. There are reports of fatalities and extensive damage.  For a complete list of the location of tornado touchdowns and damage details click here.

And click here for details on the deadly tornado in New Minden.