Tornadoes and flooding batter Great Plains

A severe weather system unleashed more than 30 tornadoes in the southern Great Plains on its way to the Great Lakes region over the past two days. Missouri and parts of Illinois and Arkansas bore the brunt of the severe weather on Tuesday. Brandon Beasley, 23, and his wife, Christin, 24, of Missouri died on Tuesday when their SUV skidded across a highway into a tractor trailer in heavy rain. Storms on Monday flipped campers at Lucas Oil Speedway in Hickory, Mo., injuring seven people. Four were taken to the hospital. Missouri authorities also reported several water rescues from flash flooding.

The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center reported 37 tornadoes on Tuesday in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. Flooding shut down Interstate 40 in El Reno, Okla., about 25 miles west of Oklahoma City. The small town of Webbers Falls, Okla., is urging residents to evacuate as the Arkansas River rises to near-historic levels. The storm is expected to weaken by Wednesday as it moves into the Great Lakes region. Another storm system is forecast for later this week, potentially covering an area from Texas to Chicago, according to the National Weather Service.