Tornado watches issued across central and southern US

More than 200,000 people face power outages amid tornado threat

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A powerful spring storm sweeping across the central United States triggered tornado watches in more than 15 states on Wednesday, with forecasters warning of a potentially “historic” and “life-threatening” weather event set to span several days.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued alerts beginning in the early hours across Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas, expanding later to include parts of Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi.

“Tornado Warning: TAKE COVER NOW,” the NWS urged in a message to Kansas City residents. The warning remained active until 7:30 a.m. CT, as officials advised residents to seek shelter in basements or interior rooms away from windows.

Severe thunderstorms are forecast to move across the Midwest and the Mississippi Valley through the week, with the NWS warning of “widespread, intense storms” and the potential for “generational” flooding in parts of Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

Violent tornadoes have already torn through homes and farms in Missouri and Arkansas, and a radio tower in Indiana was toppled.

Storms in Michigan over the weekend added to the strain, leaving nearly 120,000 customers without electricity.

Power outages have affected more than 200,000 customers across Indiana, Arkansas, Missouri, and Mississippi. Indiana has been hardest hit, with over 146,000 reported outages, according to tracking site PowerOutage.US.

In Tennessee and Mississippi, a separate tornado watch remains in place until Thursday morning, affecting nearly six million residents, including those in Nashville and Tupelo.

Forecasters say the intense system is being supercharged by climate change, with recent studies noting that hourly rainfall rates have increased in almost 90% of major US cities since 1970.

The NWS warns the storm system may continue to evolve into a “multi-day catastrophic” event, with further rounds of thunderstorms, hail, and damaging winds expected to move east through the weekend.