Tornado watch issued for five states amid warnings of ‘destructive wind gusts’ in wake of lethal twisters

‘A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa and Minnesota,’ warns the Weather Channel

More tornadoes may be on their way to the US Midwest, less than a week after the devastation in Kentucky.

The National Weather Service warned on Wednesday afternoon that the potential new twisters could affect Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, and Minnesota.

“​​A #Tornado Watch has been issued for portions of #NE, #KS, #IA, & #MN until 8 PM CST,” the NWS tweeted. “Severe, damaging winds are the primary threat, but a couple of tornadoes are possible.”

The Weather Channel echoed that warning, adding Missouri to the list.

“Widespread destructive wind gusts and a few tornadoes are expected into this evening,” the network cautioned in a tweet. “These storms are rapidly moving northeastward.”

The region is still reeling from last weekend’s tornadoes, which ripped through Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, and Tennessee. At least 89 people died in the storms, including 74 in Kentucky – and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear says the death toll will “undoubtedly” rise.

Even as the rescue and recovery effort continues, meteorologists say new storms are approaching. On Tuesday, the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma reported a slight risk of severe thunderstorms over Iowa and southern Minnesota.

The band of strong storms was expected to develop over the mid-Missouri Valley on Wednesday afternoon, an area that includes Kansas City, Missouri, Omaha, Nebraska, and Sioux City, Iowa.

On Wednesday, the Weather Channel confirmed that warning for Kansas City, which it said was under a “severe thunderstorm watch.”

Meanwhile, midwestern states have seen record-high temperatures for the second consecutive week, in some cases 40 degrees above normal for this time of year. Although it’s impossible to definitively attribute the recent tornadoes to climate change, experts say this spring-like weather in December played a role in causing the storms.

“The connections between this particular event and our changing climate are very complicated,” Yale climate scientist Dr Jennifer Marlon told CNN, “but we are definitely increasingly seeing our weather events becoming more severe and more extreme.”