Southern Md. slammed by storms

two dead

Dozens hurt in La Plata by reported tornado

About 50 patients were treated for minor injuries such as cuts from flying glass. Another 14 were treated for more serious injuries that included broken bones and at least seven people who suffered the worst injuries were flown by helicopters to other area medical centers. St. Mary's Hospital in Leonardtown treated five patients for minor injuries suffered when their house collapsed during the storm.

Arthur said the violent weather was triggered by a mass of cold air colliding with warm, moist air.

The typical reaction, she said, is heavy storms with the possibility of tornadoes.

The storms brought heavy rain to Central Maryland, with more than an inch reported at Baltimore-Washington International Airport - continuing the trend of a wet April break in the region's drought.

The same storm system battered the Tennessee and Ohio valleys yesterday with tornadoes, high wind and hail before the system swept east. Four deaths were blamed on the storms, including that of a 12-year-old boy who was catapulted from his bed.

On the system's northern edge, up to 20 inches of snow fell overnight in Wisconsin. At its peak, the storm left 40,000 people without power in northern Wisconsin.

A tornado cut a four-mile swath through Marble Hill, Mo., south of St. Louis, early yesterday and swept a family from their home. Billy Hoover, 12, was dropped about 40 yards away and died, authorities said.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.