contact a loved one, there is such a scene of chaos here i would like for them to still have hope they may see that loved one alive. when we tour the damage and just on that side down the hill, there is nothing there. we are told that when you look there you can see the horizon for miles. we re told that they were giant homes and big apartment complexes and big shopping centers. that number at 116 about doesn t surprise me and do i believe it might be higher? personally, piers, i think it really might be. sam, we can see the weather conditions with you now are atrocious. we hear there s a 45% chance of another tornado hitting joplin, which would be an appalling new blow for them but we hear there are threats of tornadoes in wider area to dallas and other cities, kansas, i m hearing. what are you picking up or what do you think will happen over the next few hours? reporter: what we ve seen is there s a stationary front
southeast but washington, d.c. is 90 degrees for the first time this year already. and right on the edge between that unusually cold air and warm air, you have a powerful jet stream so where that air clashes you have this amazing lift to create these strong thunderstorms. that clash zone, that zone where the storms are developing is not moving. not for tonight. not for tomorrow. not for tomorrow night and probably not for the following day. so exactly what we have tonight is what these folks will have to endure for two, maybe three more days. hearts go out to these people. sam, if you could just stand by for a moment. i want to bring in jeff who is a storm chaser. you were actually chasing this very storm. what did you see? has there ever been anything quite like this before in your storm chasing career? yes. back in 99 there was the most
tornado, that sounds really terrifying. reporter: it is terrifying. you have to understand that these people just last night at about this time were stumbling out of the debris of their home and didn t know where they were and didn t know where their loved ones were. they finally caught their breath during the day today and then they ve been pounded by one, two, three severe thunderstorm events during the day today. with very similar characteristics. those large hail stones you were just talking about. the strong driving wind. and these punishing cold rains as well. it s made it very difficult for the teams to look for people that they are hoping may be alive in the rubble here in joplin. sam, we are seeing a death toll at the moment of 116. that ties the worst ever figure that we ve seen for direct hit by a single tornado. from what you ve seen on the ground in joplin, would you expect that death toll figure to rise? reporter: sadly, piers, i really want folks to have hope. if t
reporter: it is terrifying. you have to understand that these people just last night at about this time were stumbling out of the debris of their home and didn t know where they were and didn t know where their loved ones were. they finally caught their breath during the day today and then they ve been pounded by one, two, three severe thunderstorm events during the day today. with very similar characteristics. those large hail stones you were just talking about. the strong driving wind. and these punishing cold rains as well. it s made it very difficult for the teams to look for people that they are hoping may be alive in the rubble here in joplin. sam, we are seeing a death toll at the moment of 116. that ties the worst ever figure that we ve seen for direct hit by a single tornado. from what you ve seen on the ground in joplin, would you expect that death toll figure to rise? reporter: sadly, piers, i really want folks to have hope. if they have not been able to contact a love
from four states dig through the wreckage. they found seven people alive today and hope to find more but many fear the death toll will surely rise. these extraordinary pictures show you just how bad the situation is. you are looking at what used to be joplin s walmart. superstore took a direct hit from a tornado and reduced to nothing but rubble at a time when the store was crowded with weekend shoppers. st. john s regional medical center took a direct hit scattering x-rays as far as 70 miles away. i want to go straight to joplin live and sam champion. sam, i mean, scenes of utter catastrophe in joplin. bring me up to speed with the latest news there. reporter: i tell you, it s a hellish out in joplin tonight. there s lightning dancing in every direction across the sky. the kind of rain tonight that you get in a hurricane. you are getting in this town. the kind of rain that they just don t need after what appears to