At least 20 people have died, including 12 in Missouri, as a storm outbreak has produced tornadoes, high winds and fires in the South and threatens to cause flooding and further storms throughout the weekend.
At least 12 people have died in Missouri as storms rip through the South and Midwest. (Missouri … [+] State Highway Patrol via AP)
Associated Press
Key Facts
At least 12 people died in Missouri, the Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed in a Facebook post Saturday afternoon, all of which were storm-related deaths.
The Arkansas Department of Public Safety confirmed Saturday morning three people died during the storms with at least 29 more injured.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said four people were killed Friday in car crashes as a result of a dust storm.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said one person died in Oklahoma after driving into smoke caused by the storms, adding wildfires have burned more than 170,000 acres and have destroyed more than 290 homes.
Where Is Severe Weather Expected Saturday?
Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are expected in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, western Georgia, Tennessee and the Florida panhandle into Saturday night, the National Weather Service forecast Saturday. The agency warned the tornadoes will be “potentially violent,” with the most dangerous tornado threat stretching from Louisiana and Mississippi in the afternoon to the Florida panhandle and Georgia at night. The National Weather Service warned these storms could bring “frequent lightning, severe thunderstorm wind gusts, hail, and several tornadoes.”
Key Background
Several states reported severe weather between Friday and Saturday, with people waking up Saturday morning to damaged homes, downed power lines and electricity outages. Tornadoes were reported Friday across Missouri, Mississippi, Indiana, Illinois and Arkansas, according to preliminary reports by the National Weather Service, with more states reporting high winds. Winds whipped up wildfires across southern and midwestern states, with more than 130 fires reported in Oklahoma alone and Texas’ largest wildfire, the Windmill Fire, growing from 500 to 18,000 acres in less than a day. Various states, including Georgia, Missouri and Arkansas, have declared states of emergency. At least 300,000 power outages have been recorded, according to the website PowerOutage.us, with Missouri being the hardest-hit state with nearly 120,000 outages as of Saturday afternoon.
Big Number
100 million. That’s the estimated number of people at risk of this weekend’s severe storms, AccuWeather meteorologists said.
Further Reading
At least 19 dead as severe storms rip through South and Midwest (NBC News)
