At least 3 dead after tornadoes touch down in central US

Tornadoes touched down in the upper Midwest and northern Arkansas, killing at least three people as the spring-like storm system rumbled eastward today.
Compact but strong storms known as supercells raked parts of the central US yesterday and today, causing damage from Arkansas, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. Meanwhile, wind-whipped wildfires destroyed homes in Texas.
At Ottawa, Illinois, state Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Patti Thompson said a tornado victim was killed by an uprooted tree. Minor injuries were also reported at an Ottawa nursing home. Thompson said it wasn't known how many people were hurt by the storm, but that it was relatively few.

"We had some damage reported in several counties, both in the north-central part of the state as well as the southern part of the state," Thompson said.
About 225 miles south of Ottawa, near Crossville, Illinois, an apparent tornado struck a building near a house, killing a 71-year-old man and injuring his wife, White County Coroner Chris Marsh said.
Another person was killed when a tornado ripped through Perry County, Missouri, about 80 miles south of St. Louis.

Eight to 10 homes near the small town of Perryville were badly damaged and winds were so strong that several vehicles were blown off of Interstate 55.

Perry County Clerk Jared Kutz said search and rescue crews were going door-to-door and checking the highway to see if there were other victims.
Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens said in a statement that a tornado was confirmed in Perry County. Authorities have not released any information about the person killed.
Forecasters were particularly concerned that the worst of the weather developed after nightfall and worried it would continue overnight and hit communities while people slept.
While weather conditions typically improve after nightfall as the atmosphere cools, the Storm Prediction Center posted tornado watches late yesterday for the area from eastern Kansas and Oklahoma to near Cincinnati.

It warned that significant tornadoes with winds above 111 mph were possible until 4 am Central time.
"Some increase in storm coverage is likely through the overnight hours," one of its advisories said.