23 Injured When Massive Hailstones, Tornado Hit Central Texas

Large swaths of the central U.S. were bracing for severe weather Wednesday after at least 23 people were injured Tuesday evening when a tornado hit central Texas.

The lower Mississippi Valley, the Midwest and lower Ohio Valley all faced a threat of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service.

The storms are likely to be accompanied by damaging winds and "very large hail" up to baseball size, the weather service said.

A tornado watch was issued for parts of Arkansas, northern Louisiana and northeast Texas until 5 p.m. CDT.

On Tuesday, 23 people were injured, including 12 who were hospitalized, after a confirmed tornado struck Salado, Texas, a rural town in Bell County, Bell County Judge David Blackburn said at a news conference.