Severe Weather Blows Through Midwest

By Margaret Lyons in News on Jan 8, 2008 8:24PM

This week's warm temperatures aren't without a downside. A downside of tornado variety. More than 30 tornadoes hit the Midwest yesterday (map), killing at leas two people and destroying homes across Missouri, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Illinois. Winds were powerful enough to derail a freight train, which was conveniently carrying toxic materials through McHenry County, so about 500 people had to be evacuated. Yesterday's heavy rain flooded parts of the region, and we remain under a flood warning today.

This marks was the first time January tornadoes have touched down in the Chicago area since the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration started keeping track in 1950, so this is a real dear diary moment for meteorology geeks. [Trib, Trib AP CBS2]

Swamped-out park by David Hwang