Storm system hits Midwest hard; brings blizzards, tornadoes

Depending on where you live in the Midwest, you could have seen a wide range of weather conditions during the past few days.

On Wednesday, a tornado touched down in Missouri before sunrise, killing multiple people south of St. Louis. The twister caused significant destruction in and around the small rural communities of Glen Allen and Grassy, Bollinger County Sheriff Casey A. Graham said in a Facebook post.

RELATED: Predawn Missouri tornado kills at least 5, sows destruction

Meanwhile, further north, blowing snow in blizzard conditions shut down multiple highways in North Dakota Tuesday and Wednesday.

All of I-29 in North Dakota – which runs from the Canadian to South Dakota borders – was closed, including the Fargo and Grand Forks area. In addition, I-94 from Fargo to Bismarck – including Valley City and Jamestown – was closed Wednesday as blizzard warnings continued for a second day.

Drivers could be fined up to $250 for driving on the closed roads.

In Minnesota, travel wasn’t advised for much of the northwest part of the state Wednesday morning and afternoon.

The northeast part of the state was also hit with snow and strong winds – some roads in the Duluth harbor were shut down Tuesday, and the area could see more heavy snow, strong winds and thunderstorms over the next few days. Hubbard-owned affiliate WDIO-TV reports wind gusts reached 70 mph at Duluth International Airport, and 63 mph at the city’s Sky Harbor Airport.

Parts of northern Minnesota and Wisconsin also received about a quarter inch of ice during the most recent storm.

Two tornadoes hit Illinois Tuesday, and tornadoes were also reported in Pleasantville, Knoxville and Pella in Iowa.

The cold and windy conditions also prompted the delay of the home opener for the St. Paul Saints.

CLICK HERE for the latest forecast from the 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS weather team.