A deadly tornado outbreak ripped through several Midwest states overnight Friday, causing widespread devastation and killing at least 14 people.
Missouri has reported at least 11 storm-related deaths, with six in hard-hit Wayne County and three in Ozark County.
A tornado destroyed a victim’s home in Butler County, killing him. “It was not recognizable as a home. “Just a debris field,” Coroner Jim Akers told The Associated Press, “and the floor was upside down. We were walking along walls.”
In Arkansas, three more fatalities were confirmed in Independence County, with dozens more injuries reported across at least eight counties. The numbers are expected to rise as search and rescue efforts continue in battered areas.
The same storm system battered parts of the Plains on Friday, causing blinding dust storms and resulting in three fatal crashes. The system is now shifting eastward, with more violent, long-track tornadoes possible across the South and East.
According to the Storm Prediction Center, at least 23 tornadoes were reported across four states on Saturday morning: Missouri, Mississippi, Illinois, and Arkansas. There were at least five twisters in Missouri alone, including one near St. Louis.
A tornado ripped through a strip mall in Rolla, Missouri, just before midnight, destroying buildings and scattering debris across the streets.
https://twitter.com/MSHPTrooperI/status/1900739015030059373?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1900739015030059373%7Ctwgr%5E15463cea6cfd1bfc2d138f63999fa3ce2a5d0487%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fweather.com%2Fstorms%2Ftornado%2Fnews%2F2025-03-15-missouri-arkansas-mississippi-tornado-destruction
Baseball-sized hail was reported near Highlandville, Missouri, and in Clark County, Indiana, wind pushed large hailstones into six-inch-deep drifts. Wind gusts exceeded 80 mph in McDonough, Illinois. Damage was reported across the Midwest, including broken windows, downed trees, and flipped cars.
As the night progressed, the storms moved south into Arkansas and beyond. Tornadoes may have struck Franklin and Van Buren shortly before 10 p.m. local time, wreaking havoc on homes.
The devastation continued into Mississippi, where reports emerged of extensive damage in Grenada County after a tornado warning was issued just before 1 a.m. local time. The community of Elliot was hit exceptionally hard with reports of several homes destroyed in the area.
By the end of the night, the National Weather Service had issued urgent tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, and Texas.
Emergency responders are already on the scene, and officials are urging those in affected areas to seek shelter and stay informed. The full extent of the destruction is still being determined.
With more than 100 million people in the storm’s path, the danger is not over. Residents in the South and Midwest should remain vigilant as dangerous storms continue to move eastward.
