At least 31 dead as storms tear through southern US
BBC News
The deadly tornado ripped apart several Southeast states, flipped cars and flattened homes, at least 31 people died in the United States – including 12 in Missouri alone.
In Kansas, at least 8 people died after at least 55 cars were involved in a crash due to a sandstorm.
On Saturday night, more than 170,000 properties in five states, including Michigan Missouri and Illinois, had no electricity.
The area is expected to have further severe weather, with tornadoes issued in eastern Louisiana, western Georgia, central Tennessee and western Florida Panhandle.
Flash and flood warnings were also issued in central Mississippi, Louisiana and western Tennessee. In addition to parts of Alabama and Arkansas, bad weather continues to track the entire Southeast.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said these flash floods could be fatal.
Alabama also issued several tornado warnings Saturday night.
The NWS warned that “multiple intensity to violent long-distance tornadoes” in these areas, calling the situation “particularly dangerous.”
“If you live in these areas, go into the strongest structure you can use until the storm passes,” the Weather Bureau said.
Missouri State Police
Missouri State PoliceMissouri Governor Mike Kehoe said the state “has suffered severe damage from storms and tornadoes that destroyed and killed the house.”
The Missouri Emergency Management Agency said preliminary reports show that 19 tornadoes have hit 25 counties so far.
Arkansas has three people killed and 29 injured – prompting Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to declare a state of emergency.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp also declared a state of emergency, while Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt confirmed the state had been killed.
A sandstorm that killed three deaths in Texas on Friday night caused an estimated 38 cars to build up.
“This is the worst situation I’ve ever seen,” Sgt. Cindy Barkley of the state’s Department of Public Safety told reporters.
“We can’t say they’re together until the dust settles to settle.”
After that, further deaths were reported in Texas.
The destructive storm fueled more than 100 wildfires in several central states and overturned several semi-trailer trucks, CBS reported.
According to the Oklahoma Forest Services, one of the fires, known as 840 Road Fire, has burned 27,500 acres but still accounts for 0% of the content. The agency has issued a “red flag” warning to the state’s Panhandle area, marking a serious fire hazard.
When the humid, warm air rises, a tornado forms, mixing with the cold air above to form a thundercloud.
The wind blowing from different directions causes the air to rotate, forming a vortex of the air moving upwards.
The past day, four states with tornado-related deaths were within a road that was frequently hit by weather phenomena.
It won the unofficial name of the United States Tornado Alley because its geography is ideal for the tornado group.
In 2024, 54 people were killed in tornado-related incidents. According to NOAA. Nine people died in Texas. There are eight in Oklahoma, five in Arkansas and one in Missouri.
The tornado season in Tornado Alley is May to June – but meteorologists warn that tornadoes may occur at any time of the year.
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