Windstorm Wreaks Havoc: Midwest Monster Storm Heads East

Oct. 27, 2010— -- A monster storm with near hurricane-force winds heads east today after it ripped through the Midwest Tuesday, leaving behind a trail of destruction and travel delays.

The fall windstorm is expected to bring chances of thunderstorms and winds to the East Coast after it pounded the Midwest with heavy rains, tornadoes and snow.

Recorded as one of the most powerful storms to hit the Midwest, the barometric pressure of Tuesday's unusual system was comparable to a category 3 hurricane, according to meteorologists.

With wind gusts up to 81 miles per hour, residents from Illinois to Tennessee experienced funnel clouds, howling winds and blinding rain.

David Imy, operations chief at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., told the Associated Press Tuesday that the storm was as powerful as a blizzard but without the snow.

"If it were colder, we'd have a blizzard with this system," he said.

The system's pressure was the lowest non-tropical pressure measured on the U.S. mainland -- breaking the record set during the Blizzard of 1978, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

More than a dozen tornadoes were reported in Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana.

"We heard something popping and banging and that was the roof being ripped off," said Indiana resident Linda Metzinger.

Emergency officials said 11 people were injured after a possible tornado passed through Lincoln County, N.C. Significant damages to homes and vehicles were reported.

Tornado warnings were in effect this morning from Georgia to Southern Virginia.

At the height of the storm, at least 31 states were under a thunderstorm watch or warning.

In North Dakota, a blizzard warning was in effect this morning.

Snow was also expected in parts of South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin.