The same storm system that caused several tornadoes and massive wind damage in the Kansas City area continued on into the day Friday, with as many as 19 tornadoes across 4 states.  Hardest hit seems to have been Arkansas, where 7 people were killed in the separate tornadoes.

In Siloam Springs, AR, a 15-year-old girl was killed while sleeping when a tree fell on her room when the first wave of tornados struck at about 4:30 a.m.

A father and son were also reported killed when a tornado hit their home in nearby Conway County, and at least one person was killed in the town of Hensley.

The storms damaged property, uprooted trees and blew out electric services to thousands of homes and businesses across the state.

In the town of Southside, the tornado tore the roof off the new Baptist Church, which had not yet even opened for services, while the high school, which was rebuilt after a tornado destroyed it in 1988, was also damaged.

Heavy damage was reported in Damascus, and at least 100 homes were damaged in nearby Cleburne County.

Tornadoes also struck in Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri, in a storm system that was headed toward Illinois, northeast of Arkansas.

This was the third wave of tornadoes to hit Arkansas this year. Thirteen people were killed in February and dozens injured in the north of the state. Again in April, several tornadoes touched down in central Arkansas, damaging hundreds of homes but causing no injuries.

Severe weather is again expected for several days in the coming week across the central part of the country.  Subscribe to my blog for more details.