Photos: Winds Wreak Havoc Across the Plains

Meghan Evans
By , Meteorologist
October 19, 2012; 9:23 AM
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Winds Wreak Havoc Across the Plains

A massive storm spinning over the Upper Midwest on Thursday allowed high winds to funnel southward across the Plains.

Storified by Accu Weather · Fri, Oct 19 2012 06:40:46

High winds in excess of 50 mph (and >60 in many places) currently extend over 900 miles from North Dakota to northern Oklahoma!Cory Mottice
A massive storm spinning over the Upper Midwest on Thursday allowed high winds to funnel southward across the Plains. Thirteen tornadoes were reported on Thursday. Tornadoes damaged and destroyed a number of trailer homes. A house was blown off its blocks in Shelby, Miss. Hailstones the size of golfballs were reported in Stonewall, Miss. Wind snapped trees from Illinois down to Louisiana. 

During October, large storms that produce howling winds are common. This is due to the fact that summer is trying to hang on in the South and winter is trying to arrive across the north. Large temperature contrasts across the U.S. mean bigger storms and stronger winds.
Noaa
Storm Prediction Center 20121017's Storm ReportsSevere weather, tornado, thunderstorm, fire weather, storm report, tornado watch, severe thunderstorm watch, mesoscale discussion, convec...

Damage Attributed to the Wind

The wind whipped up the fires in Bucyrus, N.D., burning down the town.

Small town "pretty much completely lost" to wildfire http://huff.to/QuF2EcHuffington Post
#bucyrus the day after. There used to be 4 houses there. Church still there! http://pic.twitter.com/qnIYDcYyGreg Cowan
Fire claims several bldgs in Bucyrus, ND. Winds to 70 mph and extremely dry conditions #ndwx #sdwx #mtwx http://pic.twitter.com/N360BWDpKevin Lawrence
National Interagency Fire CenterTomorrow will be the last day for daily Incident Management Situation Reports (IMSR) due to the light fire activty. The IMSR and National...

Winds blew dust from newly-plowed fields into the air. The dust storm temporarily shut down I-35, causing pile-ups.

I-35 near Blackwell exit 222. #okwx http://pic.twitter.com/fXeSWLxaBlackwell Police
From the country..my husband is driving a tractor in this http://pic.twitter.com/uqO7DFv4Amber Taylor
http://pic.twitter.com/ohIT3aoCAmber Taylor
Dusty Driving in OklahomaBrightcove
Blowing dust accompanying 40-50 mph winds reduced visibility to 2 miles at Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport #kswx http://twitpic.com/b5cdgjNWS Wichita
Visibilities continue to fall in Wichita. A lot of dust off in the distance. #kswx http://pic.twitter.com/Gv0br8urCory Mottice

The high winds in South Dakota knocked over trailers on I-90.

@Cornfrmr This is how windy it was on I-90 this afternoon. http://pic.twitter.com/6IEusoVWHuber Farms
Wind: Oct. 18, 2012Middle School Football Festival set for Friday The Rapid City Public Library book club, Off the Shelf, will feature "Super Sad True Love ...
Strong Winds Knock Out Power in Black HillsBrightcove

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