Severe storms that spawned destructive tornadoes leave 8 dead across the Central US | CNN

Severe storms brought damaging tornadoes to parts of the central US Thursday and Friday, shredding buildings into piles of debris and killing at least eight people. The severe weather threat that started Wednesday will largely wind down after Saturday. A smattering of severe storms threatens central Texas to the lower Mississippi Valley, Memphis and other portions of western Tennessee, Alabama, and parts of the Great Lakes – including Cleveland and Pittsburgh — with large hail, damaging winds and possible tornadoes Saturday. The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for areas of Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia until 8 p.m. ET. Competing air masses with record temperatures in the East and the cooler weather behind an elongated cold front are fueling the severe weather threat. Among the more than a dozen reports of tornadoes, several were confirmed in America’s heartland. In southwestern Michigan Friday afternoon, four people were killed and others injured as severe thunderstorm activity kicked up a destructive tornado, which was rated an EF-3 with winds up to 150 mph, according to NEXLAB, the College of DuPage Meteorology program. Three were killed and