Storm damage consistent with a tornado touchdown has been reported in University City, Missouri.
Storms there were part of a larger system that also brought rain and thunderstorms to the Quad Cities and surrounding areas early Thursday morning, April 3, 2014.
University City is a suburb about ten minutes from downtown St. Louis.
Power outages and a gas leak, as well as downed trees, were reported to our sister station, KTVI in St. Louis.
Tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued in the area by the National Weather Service. Flash flooding was also reported.
The NWS later confirmed a tornado touched down about an hour before sunrise in University City. It left behind a 100-yard-wide path of damage that was about a half-mile long.
About 100 homes were damaged. No injuries were reported.
The NWS said the tornado was rated EF-1, packing top winds of 112 miles per hour.
Residents reported hearing weather warning sirens sounding and noise that sounded like a freight train as the storm passed through.
Spotters also reported more than two inches of rain in Missouri- and Illinois-side suburbs of St. Louis according to the National Weather Service office there.
Get more from KTVI – click here.
Photos tweeted with a hashtag #stlwx showed heavy damage to some locations in suburban St. Louis.
Download the free News 8 App – for iOS, click here and for Android, click here
