Storm threat shifts into the East after tornadoes, winds kill multiple people and level homes in the central US | CNN

A destructive and deadly weeklong stretch of storms and tornadoes in the central US has finally ended, but more dangerous weather battered much of the East on Friday. The final blow in the heartland came in the form of hurricane-force wind gusts and more than a dozen reported tornadoes that raked through towns in the Midwest and Plains on Thursday, leveling homes in Indiana and Illinois. They were joined by a separate bout of powerful storms that downed trees and knocked out power in parts of the Northeast. At least three people were killed Thursday, all struck by falling trees. Another person died Friday in Virginia after severe weather conditions caused a large outdoor tent to collapse. All told, there have been nearly 1,500 reports of wind damage, hail and tornadoes in the central and eastern US since Sunday — one of the most active periods of severe storms so far this year. Friday’s severe storms in the East only piled on; the expansive potential storm zone spanned from eastern New York and western New England south to North Carolina, and included major cities like New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. Thursday’s storms struck the Midwest in two rounds. A 54-year old