( CNN ) -- Heavy thunderstorms are predicted in the U.S. Midwest on Thursday , a day after tornadoes battered several states , forecasters said . A storm hovers over Highway 34 , 12 miles east of Grand Island , Nebraska , on Wednesday night . Tornadoes struck parts of Minnesota and Nebraska on Wednesday , uprooting trees , downing power lines and knocking out cell phone service , emergency officials said . A tornado touched down near the city of Aurora in southeast Nebraska on Wednesday afternoon , the National Weather Service said . Aurora Mayor Marlin Seeman said the twister severely damaged a rural county five miles west of his town . Seeman said he was grateful the storm did not directly hit his town and said he would spend Thursday deploying workers to clean up nearby storm-damaged areas . There were no reports of major injuries , Seeman said . In Minnesota , a twister caused heavy damage in the Austin area in the southern part of the state . The storm tossed cars and sent trees into homes , a police dispatcher said . Strong storms are expected to hit parts of Illinois , Iowa , Minnesota and Wisconsin on Thursday , forecasters said . The National Weather Service predicted hail , winds of up to 70 mph and dangerous lightning in some areas . CNN 's Chuck Johnston contributed to this report .
Strong storms rumble through Midwest on Wednesday ; more expected on Thursday . the National Weather Service says tornado touched down near Nebraska , Nebraska . Another tornado caused heavy damage in Nebraska , Aurora .