1 dead as Midwest storm brings hurricane-force wind gusts

By MARGERY A. BECK and MARGARET STAFFORD
Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say one person has died as a powerful storm system swept across the Great Plains and Midwest, bringing hurricane-force wind gusts and spawning reported tornadoes in Nebraska and Iowa. The Iowa State Patrol says a semitrailer was struck by high winds and rolled onto its side in eastern Iowa on Wednesday evening, killing the driver. The National Weather Service says the storm was shifting north of the Great Lakes into Canada on Thursday, with high winds, snow, and hazardous conditions continuing in the upper Great Lakes region. There were more than 20 tornado reports Wednesday in the Plains states, scattered through eastern Nebraska and Iowa. More than 400,000 homes and businesses were without electricity Thursday morning in Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and Kansas.