Repair and cleaning efforts begin on a neighborhood damaged by a tornado storm system that passed through the area, destroying homes and cutting off access to utilities, Wednesday, May 29, 2019, in Dayton, Ohio. Tens of thousands of Ohio residents were still without power or water Wednesday in the aftermath of strong tornadoes that spun through the Midwest. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Latest on the powerful storms battering parts of the U.S. (all times local):
3:25 p.m.
The National Weather Service says at least three tornadoes touched down during strong storms that raked across Pennsylvania overnight.
The weather service said Wednesday that the twisters struck Tuesday night in Bradford, Indiana and Berks counties.
The storm system also dumped heavy rain on western Pennsylvania, flooding the borough of Zelienople, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Pittsburgh, and requiring the water rescue of several people.
Storms have spawned tornadoes and exacerbated flooding in a large swath of the central U.S. in recent weeks, including Tuesday twisters in Kansas and Missouri.
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3:15 p.m.
Tornado warnings have expired for parts of North Texas, but the area remains under a tornado watch until the evening.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning until 2:30 p.m. Wednesday for sections of Dallas, Tarrant and Denton counties. Forecasters say a tornado watch remains in effect for parts of North Texas until 8 p.m.
Dark clouds hovered in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area during the tornado warning period, but there were no immediate reports of weather-related injuries or damage.
The aviation tracking website FlightAware.com listed about 550 canceled flights Wednesday at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. More than 100 flights were canceled at Love Field, closer to downtown Dallas.
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1:50 p.m.
The National Weather Service has rated a tornado that was on the ground for nearly six miles northeast of Kansas City, Missouri, as an EF-2.
Meteorologist Jonathan Kurtz said Wednesday that no injuries were reported with the tornado, which damaged trees and homes Tuesday night and had peak wind speeds of 115 mph (185 kph).
The tornado was part of a severe system that moved through the area Tuesday.
The weather service is still assessing the strength of a twister that injured at least 15 people, three of them serious, and damaged homes, trees and power lines in Douglas and Leavenworth counties in eastern Kansas.
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10:05 a.m.
Concerns are high that flooding in the central U.S. will get even worse because of the most recent torrential downpours.
Strong storms that spawned dangerous tornadoes in Kansas and northwestern Missouri also brought heavy rain. Flash floods were reported in several places, closing roads and forcing water rescues.
Mark Fuchs of the National Weather Service, says Holt County in northwestern Missouri received 6 inches (15.2 centimeters) of rain, and a widespread area along the Iowa-Missouri border received at least 3 inches (7.6 centimeters) of rain.
Fuchs says most of the water will eventually drain into the already-flooded Missouri River, but it's too early to know the exact impact. Some of the water also will end up in the Mississippi River, which is approaching record highs in several Missouri and Illinois communities.
More rain is forecast for Wednesday.
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9:30 a.m.
Officials say three people in Douglas County, west of Kansas City, Kansas, were seriously injured by a strong tornado that struck near the college town of Lawrence.
The tornado touched down Tuesday night in a neighborhood south of Lawrence, which is home to the University of Kansas. More than a dozen homes were severely damaged, but no one was killed.
The Douglas County Emergency Management agency said Wednesday on Facebook that 15 people were injured by the storm, including the three with serious injuries. It warned people to stay away from storm-damaged areas.
The tornado was part of another strong round of severe and damaging storms that have battered the central U.S. Several twisters were reported in Iowa and Missouri, which also got heavy rain that caused flash flooding and led to water rescues.
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8:50 a.m.
Kansas City International Airport is open again after a harrowing night of storms that left debris over the runway, including debris apparently from a tornado-ravaged town nearly 50 miles away.
A tornado warning Tuesday night forced officials to move people from the terminal to a tunnel leading to the parking garage, where they stayed for about an hour.
But flights were delayed for several hours because of debris strewn about the airfield. Airport spokesman Joe McBride says debris that included pots, plants and wall panels was apparently blown to Kansas City from a tornado that struck Linwood, Kansas, 47 miles to the southwest.
The airport's Twitter account described it as "Thousands of pieces over millions of square feet."
The airport reopened around 12:15 a.m.
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8:30 a.m.
Another round of severe storms is causing more flood problems in the central U.S.
A round of storms Tuesday night and Wednesday morning resulted in several damaging tornadoes in Kansas. The storm moved into Missouri and dumped massive amounts of rain in the northern part of the state.
Several water rescues were reported in northern Missouri. In sparsely populated Putnam County, officials urged everyone to stay off roads because flooding was rampant after the county got 2 inches of rain in 20 minutes Tuesday night.
Hannibal, Missouri, officials were just beginning to assess damage Wednesday, hours after torrential rain proved too much for the storm sewers, causing a break that resulted in water damage to buildings in the historic downtown area.
The rain is expected to cause yet another spike in river levels. The Mississippi River already is approaching all-time records at several Missouri and Illinois communities.
A destroyed home sits in a neighborhood after it was hit by a tornado on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, south of Lawrence, Kan., near US-59 highway and N. 1000 Road. The past couple of weeks have seen unusually high tornado activity in the U.S., with no immediate end to the pattern in sight. (Chris Neal/The Topeka Capital-Journal via AP)
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Residents cleans up in a tornado damaged neighborhood, Wednesday, May 29, 2019, in Dayton, Ohio. Tens of thousands of Ohio residents were still without power or water in the aftermath of strong tornadoes that spun through the Midwest earlier in the week. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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A man and woman inspect the damage to their home and classic cars after being hit by a tornado on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, in a neighborhood south of Lawrence, Kan., near US-59 highway and N. 1000 Road. The past couple of weeks have seen unusually high tornado activity in the U.S., with no immediate end to the pattern in sight. (Chris Neal/The Topeka Capital-Journal via AP)
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A family ducks under power lines as they make their way out of a tornado damaged neighborhood after being hit on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, south of Lawrence, Kan., near US-59 highway and N. 1000 Road. The past couple of weeks have seen unusually high tornado activity in the U.S., with no immediate end to the pattern in sight.(Chris Neal/The Topeka Capital-Journal via AP)
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People watch from the Liberty Memorial as a severe storm that dropped several tornados earlier approaches downtown Kansas City, Mo., Tuesday, May 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
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Joe Armison looks over his destroyed barn after a tornado struck the outskirts of Eudora, Kan., Tuesday, May 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)
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A destroyed home sits in a neighborhood after it was hit by a tornado on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, south of Lawrence, Kan., near US-59 highway and N. 1000 Road. The past couple of weeks have seen unusually high tornado activity in the U.S., with no immediate end to the pattern in sight. (Chris Neal/The Topeka Capital-Journal via AP)
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A family tries to gather their belongings after a tornado destroyed their home on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, in a neighborhood south of Lawrence, Kan., near US-59 highway and N. 1000 Road. The past couple of weeks have seen unusually high tornado activity in the U.S., with no immediate end to the pattern in sight. (Chris Neal/The Topeka Capital-Journal via AP)
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A man passes off a bundle of blue jeans as he tries to collect clothing for his family after being hit by a tornado on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, in a neighborhood south of Lawrence, Kan., near US-59 highway and N. 1000 Road. The past couple of weeks have seen unusually high tornado activity in the U.S., with no immediate end to the pattern in sight. (Chris Neal/The Topeka Capital-Journal via AP)
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A family ducks under power lines as they make their way out of a tornado damaged neighborhood after being hit on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, south of Lawrence, Kan., near US-59 highway and N. 1000 Road. The past couple of weeks have seen unusually high tornado activity in the U.S., with no immediate end to the pattern in sight.(Chris Neal/The Topeka Capital-Journal via AP)
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The sky begins to clear over a destroyed home after a tornado touched down in a neighborhood south of Lawrence, Kan., near US-59 highway and N. 1000 Road on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. The past couple of weeks have seen unusually high tornado activity in the U.S., with no immediate end to the pattern in sight. (Chris Neal/The Topeka Capital-Journal via AP)
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A severe storm that dropped several tornados earlier passes behind downtown Kansas City, Mo. Tuesday, May 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
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Residents walk through a tornado damaged neighborhood, Wednesday, May 29, 2019, in Dayton, Ohio, as clean up efforts begin. Tens of thousands of Ohio residents were still without power or water in the aftermath of strong tornadoes that spun through the Midwest earlier in the week. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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Local volunteers on Wednesday, May 29, 2019, in Dayton Ohio, help organize relief support for victims of a tornado storm system Wednesday Tens of thousands of Ohio residents were still without power or water in the aftermath of strong tornadoes that spun through the Midwest earlier this week. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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Local volunteers on Wednesday, May 29, 2019, in Dayton Ohio, help organize relief support for victims of a tornado storm system Wednesday Tens of thousands of Ohio residents were still without power or water in the aftermath of strong tornadoes that spun through the Midwest earlier this week. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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Workers dismantle the damaged roof on a section of a home, Wednesday, May 29, 2019, in Dayton, Ohio, as cleaning efforts begin in a neighborhood damaged by a tornado storm system that passed through the area on Monday. Tens of thousands of Ohio residents were still without power or water in the aftermath of strong tornadoes that spun through the Midwest. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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