4 tornadoes confirmed in Michigan as severe weather threatens Central US: Updates

Four tornadoes swept through Michigan Tuesday as tens of millions of people across the Central United States braced for severe storms, damaging hail and powerful winds.

A tornado watch – which indicates conditions are ripe for tornadoes to form – was issued by the National Weather Service for much of Indiana, western Ohio and southern Michigan at 5 p.m. The weather service confirmed four tornadoes in Michigan, injuring at least one person and damaging several buildings, including a FedEx facility in Portage that collapsed.

"A few tornadoes are likely with a couple intense tornadoes possible," the Storm Prediction Center warned. The watch will stay in effect until 8:00 p.m. CDT.

Overall, much of the central and eastern United States remains at risk for severe thunderstorms Tuesday from Texas to Wyoming and as far east as Pennsylvania and the Carolinas, according to the Weather Prediction Center. More than 13 million people in Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky were at "enhanced risk" of seeing storms capable of unleashing "very large hail" and strong tornadoes.

Scattered supercell thunderstorms were forecast to spread across southern and eastern Indiana into western Ohio into late Tuesday. Supercells are the least common type of thunderstorm and tend to produce severe weather, including damaging winds, large hail and sometimes tornadoes, according to the weather service.

In addition to Chicago and Indianapolis, other metro areas at greatest risk for severe weather on Tuesday included Cincinnati, Columbus and Louisville, the Storm Prediction Center said.

Tuesday's foul weather comes a day after strong storms battered the Plains region on Monday, spinning up multiple tornadoes that killed at least one person, destroyed buildings and knocked out power to thousands of households.

The threat of severe weather is forecast to continue across the Ohio Valley and mid-South regions on Wednesday, the Storm Prediction Center said.

∎ The violent weather outbreak has caused nearly 250 incidents of severe weather since Monday, including more than a dozen tornadoes and large hail, according to AccuWeather.

∎ At 7 p.m., more than 50,000 customers were without electricity across the region that saw storms over the previous 24 hours, the database maintained by USA TODAY. That included nearly 31,000 customers in Michigan and roughly 7,000 each in Missouri and Oklahoma. It did not include another 45,000 customers without electricity in Colorado after winds as high as 80-90 mph on Monday.

∎ Windy conditions and lower humidity could also pose a risk for critical fire weather across southeast Colorado, the Texas/Oklahoma Panhandle region and much of New Mexico.

∎ Two school districts in northeastern Oklahoma, Bartlesville Public Schools and Barnsdall Public Schools, canceled classes on Tuesday citing power outages and road closures. Both communities were ravaged by a powerful tornado on Monday night.

∎ Oklahoma's governor, Kevin Stitt, will travel to Barnsdall Tuesday afternoon to survey the damage to the small town: "Devastating images coming out of Barnsdall, OK, this morning," the governor posted on X. "First responders spent the night executing search and rescue operations. Resources are being directed to the area to aid in recovery. I will travel to Barnsdall later this afternoon. Hold them in your prayers!"