Strong storms across the Midwest on Wednesday closed a key baby formula plant again, while a tornado damaged a hospital, vehicles, and buildings, leaving 200K without power in 5 states. Even more severe weather is on the way for Thursday.
Key baby formula plant in Michigan closes again after storm causes flooding
A key baby formula manufacturing plant in Michigan, operated by Abbott Laboratories, which only reopened on June 4, has been closed once again after flooding on Wednesday forced production to be halted, the Weather Channel reported.
A prior months-long forced closure by the FDA played a major role in the baby formula shortage in the United States.
Torrential rains overwhelmed the city’s stormwater system and flooded parts of the plant, the company said in a statement, NBC reported.
Wednesday’s storms and tornado leaves damage and power outages in 5 states
In Wisconsin, buildings and vehicles were damaged, large trees were snapped, trailers were flipped over, roofs were blown off, semi-trucks were toppled, and a hospital was impacted after at least one tornado touched down in the city of Mauston, the Weather Channel reported. The scope of the damage is yet unclear at the time of this reporting, but there were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.
The National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed a tornado on the ground in Monroe County near the community of Tomah shortly after 4 PM.
Storms also impacted parts of Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Michigan, and Indiana, leading to power outages.
Over 200,000 residents are without power in five states in the Midwest and Ohio Valley as a result of Wednesday’s storms. In Wisconsin 88,663 are without electricity, Ohio 63,479, Michigan 39,280, West Virginia 14,206, in Indiana 10,308, as of 7 AM on Thursday according to poweroutage.us.
Two severe weather fronts for Thursday
The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has forecast two severe weather fronts for Thursday, one over the Midwest and Ohio Valley, and another stretching from the Ohio Valley into the mid-Atlantic.
In the Mid-Atlantic, a Level 3 severe weather risk over much of Pennsylvania and New York. A Level 2 severe weather risk includes central and eastern Ohio, central and northern West Virginia, Northern Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Western New Jersey, all of Pennsylvania, and most of New York.
There is a chance for some very large hail and tornadoes, particularly in the afternoon and evening hours, the Weather Channel reported.
In the Midwest, a Level 2 severe weather risk over southeastern Nebraska, northeastern Kansas, southwestern Iowa, central and northern Missouri, and western and southern Illinois.
