Tornadoes

Experts say planning before a tornado threatens is key for staying safe. Weather radios, basements and bicycle helmets can all help save lives. Rick Smith of the National Weather Service says a weather radio is something that every home and business should have.

Jeff Frederickson and his wife were on their way back home to Colleyville after driving up to Minnesota to pick up his family’s prized 1971 Thunderbird when they were caught in the middle of a tornado that ripped through Oklahoma.

The Indiana State Police said there are “many significant injuries” after a tornado tore through the community of Winchester on Thursday, part of a storm system that also unleashed suspected twisters that damaged homes and businesses in parts of Ohio and Kentucky.

Pfizer had said most of the tornado damage was to a storage facility, rather than its medicine production area.

Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts saw strong thunderstorms early Friday, prompting severe weather and tornado warnings in parts of New England.

Fire whirls, or firenados, form during wildfires and are quite a sight to see. Here’s what you need to know.

The National Weather Service also determined that a funnel cloud traversed eastern Connecticut and came dangerously close to touching down but never did.

The National Weather Service says a tornado touched down near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport prompting passengers to take shelter and disrupting hundreds of flights.

Video posted to social media showed two funnel cloud formations at the same time near Elgin, Illinois.

NBC 5 Chief Meteorologist Brant Miller explains the reason for the flurry of severe weather including multiple tornados on Wednesday.

Cleanup efforts continued Friday after severe storms — including some that produced tornadoes — tore across a swath of Southern states, killing at least five people as they destroyed hundreds of homes, tossed vehicles into buildings and left hundreds of thousands without electricity.

Tornado Alley is expanding due to a warmer climate.