Tornadoes Raking Great Plains

Tornadoes dropped onto the Great Plains on Thursday after forecasters warned of a potentially historic outbreak.

Computer forecasting models for Thursday resembled those on June 8, 1974, when 39 tornadoes raked the southern Plains and killed 22 people. The National Weather Service on Tuesday took the unusual step of giving advance warning of a possible tornado outbreak based on the conditions.

Bangladesh cyclone death toll at 2,400

"Nothing is going to happen. That was our first thought and we went to bed. Just before midnight the winds came like hundreds of demons. Our small hut was swept away like a piece of paper, and we all ran for shelter," said Mridha, a 45-year-old farm worker, weeping.

On the way to a shelter, Mridha was separated from his wife, mother and two children. The next morning he found their bodies stuck in a battered bush along the coast.

The coast abounded with such grim tales following Tropical Cyclone Sidr — the worst cyclone to hit Bangladesh in a decade. Many grieving families buried their loved ones in the same grave because no male member was available to dig them.
By PARVEEN AHMED, Associated Press Writer

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ALERT: National Weather Warning

Very cold conditions are expected in places on the highveld and escarpment of Mpumalanga.

Severe thunderstorms with a possibility of heavy falls of rain, strong, gusty winds and damaging hail are expected in places over Gordonia, the Upper Karoo and the northern interior of the Eastern Cape.