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Snow hits tornado-hit region

More weather woes for the Midwest United States.

Monday brought more misery to parts of the USA that were worst hit by the recent tornadoes, as a snowstorm struck the region.
Published On 7 Mar 2012

On Friday the USA was hit by a huge swathe of storms, which led to the deaths of 39 people.

Tornadoes normally strike later in the year. The destruction at the beginning of March, meant the Midwest was still at risk of seeing some wintry weather.

Snow will damage belongings that have been left exposed to the elements and threatens to cause further damage to homes that were affected by the storms. The cold weather will also affect the many people in the region who are still without power.

The snowstorm hampered clean-up efforts in Indiana and Kentucky, the states hardest hit by a wave of powerful tornadoes that killed dozens of people.
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Over 10 cm of snow fell in southern Indiana and north-central Kentucky, just two days after at least 30 tornadoes ripped through the region.
The storms splintered homes and tossed vehicles around like toys. The concern is that heavy, wet snow will cause weakened buildings to collapse.
The recent tornadoes struck on the heels of another round of severe weather that killed about a dozen people earlier in the week.
Officials said at least 39 people died in the latest wave of storms - 21 in Kentucky, 13 in Indiana, three in Ohio and one in Alabama. Georgia also reported a storm-related death.
The destruction raised fears that 2012 would be another bad tornado season for the United States. A total of 550 deaths were blamed on twisters last year, the deadliest in nearly a century.
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Tornadoes are formed when warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico meets cooler, dry air digging down from Canada. Earlier-than-usual outbreaks of tornadoes are likely to become the norm as global temperatures continue to rise.
An area of high pressure will dominate the Midwest over the next couple of days. This will allow temperatures to rise and the clean-up operation to continue without disruption. The fine weather will break on Thursday, when more thunderstorms are expected across the region.