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April blizzard blasts northern Plains; tornadoes and gigantic hail strike Texas, injuring 23

Wild weather raged across parts of the nation Tuesday, including a blizzard in the Northern Plains and tornadoes in Iowa and Texas.

A combination of heavy snow and strong wind gusts brought blizzard conditions to portions of Montana and North Dakota on Tuesday, the National Weather Service said, thanks to significant blowing and drifting of snow.

An estimated 47 inches of snow fell Tuesday in Albro Lake, Montana, forcing several major road closures, Accuweather reported.

"Travel will be very difficult to impossible and there is the potential for power outages and tree damage," the Weather Service said. "Significant impacts to young livestock are also possible."

The blizzard closed schools, colleges and some government offices in North Dakota.

"This is going to be historic for some areas," Jason Anglin, lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service's Bismarck office, told the Bismarck Tribune. "It's going to be tough to travel, the impact to the ranching community is going to be big, even the impact to the power community – there's going to be a lot of water in this snow; it could bring down trees and bring down power lines."

Crews closed roads as several inches of snow fell in the Portland area on, Monday, April 11, 2022. Portland received the first measurable snowfall in April in recorded history on Monday.
Crews closed roads as several inches of snow fell in the Portland area on, Monday, April 11, 2022. Portland received the first measurable snowfall in April in recorded history on Monday.

The snowstorm could reach record levels in some areas, AccuWeather said.

Farther south, another day of severe storms was forecast for a large swath of the central U.S., meteorologists warned, after a stormy Monday.

On Monday, possible tornadoes, hail and high winds stretched across much of Arkansas, causing minor structural damage, flash flooding and power failures. Weather and emergency officials said no injuries were reported, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

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Another explosion of severe weather was expected Tuesday afternoon through Tuesday night from eastern Texas and much of Louisiana northward to southern Minnesota and part of southwestern Wisconsin, AccuWeather said.

A "potentially violent" tornado with a strong rotation touched down Tuesday afternoon in Bell County, Texas, the National Weather Service said. Quarter-sized hail fell in Saginaw, right outside Fort Worth.

"This is a life-threatening situation! Seek shelter NOW!!!" the service tweeted.

25NewsKXXV reported that 23 people were injured in the Bell County tornado, including 12 that were hospitalized and one person in critical condition.

Hail that measured over 5.5 inches pelted Salado, Texas, — so large, it exceeded the National Weather Service's scale of hail reporting standards, which only covers hail up to 4.5 inches in diameter.

At least two tornadoes also hit Iowa on Tuesday, according to Accuweather.

The Storm Prediction Center said: "Scattered severe thunderstorms capable of producing very large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes are expected late this afternoon and tonight across a broad portion of the southern and central Plains into the Mississippi Valley. Some of the tornadoes could be strong."

The tornado threat was expected to extend into Wednesday, when another widespread area will be at risk of severe storms all the way from Illinois to Louisiana, including Indianapolis; Nashville, Tennessee; Louisville, Kentucky; and St. Louis.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: April blizzard blasts Plains; tornadoes, hail in Texas