Us midwest

A deadly string of tornadoes cut a swath of destruction across the US midwest, killing at least 11 people and threatening scores more as a massive storm pushed eastward early Thursday. Homes were smashed to bits, cars were tossed into lakes, trees were uprooted and shops were reduced to rubble in towns from Nebraska to Kentucky as the powerful system whipped up strong winds, hail and ominous funnel clouds. The town of Harrisburg, Illinois was the hardest hit after it was ripped apart by a deadly twister that stayed on the ground for miles, striking while most were still sleeping at around 4:30 am (1030 GMT) on Wednesday. At least six people were killed and more than 100 injured in this southern Illinois town of 9,000. The monster twister packed winds up to 170 miles (270 kilometers) per hour and damaged or destroyed up to 300 homes and 25 businesses, smashing a strip mall to bits and tearing a wall off the local hospital. "A lot of the houses are unreal, it's like a war zone," … [Read more...] about At least 11 dead as tornadoes strike US midwest

Residents of the north-eastern US have been warned to stay indoors, as the region braces for a storm expected to dump up to 14in (35cm) of snow. Nearly 2,000 flights have been grounded nationwide as heavy snow fell from Illinois to Michigan in the US Midwest. New York and New England are expected to see blizzard conditions, with wind gusts of up to 45mph (72 km/h). In Canada, temperatures of -26C (-14F) were recorded in Montreal and Winnipeg, not including the wind chill factor. On Thursday, central Quebec recorded an actual temperature of -46C (-51F), Environment Canada meteorologist Bernard Duguay told the BBC. Several inches of snow have already fallen in the US north-east, but the strongest part of the storm is expected on Thursday evening into Friday morning. 'Serious situation' "We're going to see a lot of snow and a lot of wind," said Jason Tuell, of the US National Weather Service. "We're concerned about whiteout conditions possibly tonight with the blowing and drifting … [Read more...] about US north-east braces for first major snow storm of 2014

Hundreds of children across the US have been treated for a rare respiratory virus and more cases are expected in the next few weeks, doctors have said. The enterovirus, EV-D68, is believed to be the cause of the outbreak and can cause severe respiratory illness. Twelve states in the US Midwest have reported cases over the past month, with dozens of children admitted into intensive care. Frequent hand washing and good hygiene help protect against the virus. Enteroviruses are common and usually do not require hospital care. The symptoms typically manifest as an intense summer cold, with the number of infections declining in September. But EV-D68, which was first recorded in California in 1962, is less common in the US and can cause mild or severe respiratory illness. Over the past month, doctors in a number of states have reported an unusually high number of cases where symptoms have developed into acute respiratory distress and where the patient has needed hospitalisation, and in some … [Read more...] about Hundreds of US children treated for respiratory virus