Severe Midwest Storm: Missouri Hit Hard, More Snow Expected for Minnesota

A severe storm that swept across the Midwest damaged homes and businesses in St. Louis, toppling mobile homes and ripping the roof off a Missouri church. Other areas were buried in more than a foot of snow.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency after the Wednesday night storms. By Thursday morning, crews were out to determine if tornadoes were to blame for damage in areas of eastern Missouri, according to the National Weather Service.

More than 24,000 utility customers are still without power in Missouri, mostly in the St. Louis area, with scattered reports of injuries but no known fatalities reported so far. 

However, thousands are reported to be without power as of Wednesday, including homes and businesses, in Minnesota and South Dakota. More snow is also expected to hit later in the week.

National Weather Service meteorologist Mark Fuchs said, according to ABC News, that there were several reports of wind damage in eastern Missouri, including a report of 100 mph winds at the small airport in Sullivan, a town of about 7,000 residents 65 miles southwest of St. Louis. Buildings at the airport were damaged.

The National Weather Service forecast another 8 or 9 inches of snow in southeastern Minnesota on Thursday, with up to 14 inches across the south of the state.

More snow and strong winds were forecast for Thursday, according to the weather services

One weather service meteorologist said the snow would not change the current flood forecast.

"Any additional precipitation at this stage in the game is not necessarily a good thing," said Peter Rogers in Grand Forks. "But we're not expecting that to have an immediate impact on the rivers either."

Wisconsin Emergency Management spokesman Tod Pritchard also said another wave of freezing rain could sweep across central Wisconsin from La Crosse to Green Bay from late Wednesday into Thursday. That rain could cause more flooding in the region.