A vicious storm tore through the Kansas City area, spawning tornadoes that left a trail of devastation, as the US reeled from a record run of twisters. The tornadoes downed trees and power lines, damaged homes and injured at least a dozen people in the latest barrage of severe weather that saw warnings as far east as New York City. Parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey were also under tornado warnings hours after a swarm of tightly packed twisters swept through Indiana and Ohio overnight, smashing homes, blowing out windows and ending the school year early for some students because of damage to buildings. One person was killed and at least 130 were injured. The storms in Kansas City on Tuesday were the 12th straight day that at least eight tornadoes were reported to the National Weather Service. After several quiet years, the past couple of weeks have seen an explosion of tornado activity with no end to the pattern in sight. The previous 11-day stretch of at least eight tornadoes per day ended on June 7, 1980. .@kmbc in Kansas City showing the tornado moving through Lawrence, KS on its way to Linwood. That is a massive tornado. Chopper pilot estimated it was a mile wide. KSwxpic.twitter.com/921tewWl9N— Drew Tuma (@DrewTumaABC7) May 28, 2019 "We're getting big counts on a lot of these days and that is certainly unusual," Patrick Marsh, warning coordination meteorologist for the federal Storm Prediction Centre, said. The National Weather Service had already received at least 27 more reports of tornadoes on Tuesday, suggesting that the record for consecutive days would be broken once the official totals are in. A large and dangerous tornado touched down on the western edge of Kansas City, Kansas, late on Tuesday, the National Weather Service office reported. At least a dozen people were admitted to the hospital in Lawrence, 40 miles west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and home to the University of Kansas, hospital spokesman Janice Early said. Damage also was reported in the towns of Bonner Springs, Linwood and Pleasant Grove in Kansas. But the Kansas City metropolitan area of about 2.1 million people appeared to have been spared the direct hit that was feared earlier in the evening when the weather service announced a tornado emergency. Assisting with search and rescue near linwood Kansas pic.twitter.com/mdSTiowT1O— Jesse Risley ������️�� (@Jesse_Risley) May 29, 2019 Mark Duffin, 48, learned from his wife and a television report that the large tornado was headed toward his home in Linwood, about 30 miles west of Kansas City. The next thing he knew, the walls of his house were coming down. Mr Duffin told the Kansas City Star that he grabbed a mattress, followed his 13-year-old to the basement and protected the two of them with the mattress as the home crashed down around them. "I’m just glad I found my two dogs alive," he said. "Wife’s alive, family’s alive, I’m alive. So, that’s it." The severe weather wasn’t limited to the Midwest. Tornadoes were confirmed in eastern Pennsylvania and the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for parts of New York City and northern New Jersey. The winds peeled away roofs - leaving homes looking like giant dollhouses - knocked houses off their foundations, toppled trees, brought down power lines and churned up so much debris that it was visible on radar. Highway crews had to use snowplows to clear an Ohio interstate. People look on as they examine the damaged remains of school in Dayton, Ohio Credit: AFP Some of the heaviest damage was reported just outside Dayton, Ohio. "I just got down on all fours and covered my head with my hands," said Francis Dutmers, who with his wife headed for the basement of their home in Vandalia, about 10 miles outside Dayton, when the storm hit with a "very loud roar" on Monday night. The winds blew out windows around his house, filled rooms with debris and took down most of his trees. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine declared a state of emergency in three hard-hit counties, allowing the state to suspend normal purchasing procedures and quickly provide supplies like water and generators. Outbreaks of 50 or more tornadoes are not uncommon, having happened 63 times in US history, with three instances of more than 100 twisters, Mr Marsh said. But Monday’s swarm was unusual because it happened over a particularly wide geographic area and came amid an especially active stretch, he said. An aerial photo shows damaged homes and debris marking the path of a tornado in Celina Credit: AP As for why it’s happening, Mr Marsh said high pressure over the Southeast and an unusually cold trough over the Rockies are forcing warm, moist air into the central US, triggering repeated severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. And neither system is showing signs of moving, he said. Scientists say climate change is responsible for more intense and more frequent extreme weather such as storms, droughts, floods and fires, but without extensive study they cannot directly link a single weather event to the changing climate. Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily Front Page newsletter and new audio briefings.
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