'Great Lakes Cyclone' wreaks havoc in Midwest in one of the worst storms in U.S. history
By David Gardner for MailOnline
2,000-mile wide storm affects 31 states as it heads for East Coast
Atmospheric pressure drops to levels seen in Category 3 Hurricane, with 81mph winds
24 tornados reported to have hit land in 24 states
220,000 homes and businesses left without power and scores injured
A massive 2,000-mile wide storm was ploughing its way through the heart of the U.S. today bringing tornados, heavy rain and leaving 220,000 homes and business without power.
The 'Great Lakes Cyclone', one of the lowest pressure systems ever recorded in continental America, has seen winds of up to 81mph tears through the Midwest and South.
Flights at many airports have been cancelled, and several states have reported travel chaos as high winds shut roads and schools closed for the day.
Wrecked: What is left of a home in Vale, North Carolina, after a suspected tornado tore through the area
Damage: Scores of people have been injured in one of the worst storms to hit the U.S. in 70 years
Relief: Family members embrace after surveying the damage at another home in North Carolina
Heavy snow has begun falling in the northern states of North and South Dakota and Minnesota as pressure in the storm drops to levels normally recorded in category three hurricanes.
Reports of 24 tornados have been made in as many states and at the height of the 'perfect storm', 31 states had tornado watches or warnings.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said the system's pressure reading was among the lowest ever in a non-tropical storm.
Spokesman Susan Buchanan said it was within the top five in terms of low pressure, bringing high winds.
An unusually powerful October storm produced up to 12 tornadoes and left behind a wide trail of damage in the Midwest.
Powerful: A worker removes rubble after parts of a 1920s-era building collapsed in St Louis
Eerie: Dark clouds form over Manteno, Illinois, as the low pressure storm brought high winds and heavy rain across the Midwest
The fast-moving storm blew in from the Pacific Northwest propelled by an unusually powerful jet stream, according to David Imy - operations chief at the NOAA's Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.
It is now heading for the east coast, but was expected to weaken as it left the Midwest.
Severe thunderstorms have been forecast for cities including Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Charleston, Birmingham, Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York.
Up to eight inches of snow is also expected in the northern states by the end of the today.
Repairs: Workmen try to right power lines in Greenfield, Indiana
Two people were injured in Racine County, Wisconsin, when the roof of a tractor factory was torn off as a tornado touched down.
Eleven were hurt and several homes damaged when another possible tornado smashed through Lincoln County, North Carolina.
The most serious injury occurred when a woman was impaled by a tree branch after it crashed through her car in a Chicago suburb.
The woman was thrown half out of the car by the impact and is said to be in a stable condition.
Frightening: An office worker makes her way through the high winds in Chicago as the city's airport cancelled 500 flights
'Wind machine' wreaks havoc in one of the worst storms in U.S. history
A livestock truck flipped over on Highway 34 through central Illinois, killing around 50 cows and causing the road to be shut as the dead animals were cleared away.
Sheryl Uthemann, a worker at the Case New Holland plant in Sturtevant, Wisconsin, said everyone just ran when the wind lifted off the factory roof.
'It was just a regular work day and all of a sudden that noise just came and co-workers said "run, run, run". You didn't have time to think.
'I looked where the noise was coming from and saw pieces of the roof sucked up. I've never been more scared, ever.'
More than 500 flights were cancelled at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and there were also delays to flights at Indianapolis.
But brave kitesurfers took advantage of the high winds to enjoy their sport on the Great Lakes.
Trail of damage: The unusually powerful storm produced up to 12 tornados
'Great Lakes Cyclone' one of the worst storms in US history