PRATTVILLE, Ala. — Severe weather howled through much of the nation’s eastern half Sunday, producing damaging tornadoes in the South and treating winter-weary parts of the Midwest to freezing rain, snow and flooding.
In Prattville, outside Montgomery, Mayor Jim Byard said a tornado struck a residential area and that crews searched for any storm victims who might be trapped in the wreckage.
No fatalities were immediately reported, but two people were critically injured, said Fire Chief Dallis Johnson.
A tornado destroyed four homes in Escambia County, Fla., with several others damaged, county and National Weather Service officials said. Across the border in Escambia County, Ala., two houses were destroyed by a possible tornado in rural Dixie, the Weather Service said.
Freezing rain and snow fell across the southern two- thirds of Wisconsin, still weary from a major snowstorm that stranded hundreds of motorists and snarled travel for days.
Numerous crashes were reported, and authorities urged people to stay off roads. The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for much of Iowa and Wisconsin, as well as flood warnings in parts of the two states.
Heavy snow and slush closed the Kansas City International Airport for almost six hours, the longest closure in its 35-year history, authorities said. Dozens of flights were canceled.
