Tornadoes rip South, Midwest

At least six killed, dozens injured in Arkansas, Mississippi

Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.

Tornadoes fueled by unusually warm air pummeled the South and Midwest on Friday, killing at least six people and injuring dozens more across Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois. Forecasters said storms could hit along a stretch from near Chicago to New Orleans later in the evening as New Year’s Eve celebrations begin.

Three people died in the northwestern Arkansas hamlet of Cincinnati when a tornado touched down just before sunrise, and three others died when a storm spawned by the same weather system ripped up the Missouri countryside near Rolla. A number of storms were also reported in the St. Louis area.

Storms later Friday knocked out power to more than 19,000 Mississippi residents, while broad swaths of Louisiana and Mississippi were under severe weather watches and warnings that threatened New Year’s Eve revelry.

“It sucked me out of my house and carried me across the road and dropped me,” Chris Sisemore of Cincinnati told The Associated Press on Friday. “I was Superman for a while. ... You’re just free-floating through the air. Trees are knocking you and smacking you down.”

Sisemore said he tried to crawl under his bed and cling to the carpet, fearful a nearby pecan tree would fall into his home. As he nursed cuts, scrapes and bruises to his arms, knees and back, he said he feared he would not see 2011.