Severe storms have caused devastation in parts of the Midwest and the South, leaving at least three people dead and over 250,000 customers without power. Forecasters have warned of intense and long-lasting storms, with a level of severity typically only experienced once or twice in a lifetime. The Weather Service issued the highest risk alert for tornadoes in some areas of the Midwest on Friday night and urged residents to seek shelter due to dangerous flying debris. Saturday is expected to bring violent, long-track tornadoes in the South, posing a significant risk to communities in the path of the storms.
In Missouri, storms tore through Ozark County near the border with Arkansas, resulting in the deaths of a man and a woman. Another person died in Butler County after being trapped in a house that sustained severe damage. The storms caused widespread damage in the state, including in the city of Rolla. Power outages had affected over 141,000 customers in Missouri, 46,000 in Illinois, 46,000 in Indiana, and 19,000 in Arkansas by Saturday morning. The storms are part of a larger system affecting the Central United States, which has also brought tornadoes to the Midwest and dust storms and wildfires to the Plains.
The storms on Saturday are forecast to move quickly and may catch people off guard. Numerous significant tornadoes are expected, along with potentially violent winds and large hail. Louisiana and Mississippi were likely to face the most dangerous threat of tornadoes from late morning into early afternoon, followed by Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and northern Florida later in the day and overnight. The Storm Prediction Center has issued a high-risk warning, only the third time in history for the second day of a storm, with Central Mississippi and Alabama facing the highest risk level of five.
The most severe storms can produce long-track tornadoes that cause widespread damage as they move across multiple states. Tornadoes are most common in the South from mid-March to late April before the risk shifts to the Plains. The threat of severe weather is expected to continue over the weekend as the storm system moves eastward and finally offshore by Monday. The storms are significant due to their potential for extensive damage and life-threatening conditions, highlighting the need for residents to stay informed and take necessary precautions to protect themselves and their property.
