As of March 16, at least 33 people had been killed by the destructive storm that swept over the central and southern United States this weekend, bringing with it tornadoes and strong winds that destroyed homes and schools.
In addition to producing deadly dust storms in the middle United States and frigid winter weather in the north, the storm produced strong thunderstorms on Sunday, particularly on the West Coast, after a weather forecaster classified it as unusually “high risk.”
In Missouri, tornadoes destroyed houses and businesses in hard-hit Wayne County and took at least a dozen lives.
One “unrecognizable home” where a man was murdered was described by Coroner Jim Akers as “just a debris field” while authorities in Butler County, Missouri, were still trying to sort through the incredible tornado damage.
He said that the floor was inverted. “Walls were beneath us.”
Six people had killed in three counties, according to Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves, and three more were reported missing Saturday night as the storm moved east into Alabama, causing damage to houses and highways and rendering some inaccessible.
Officials confirmed three deaths in Arkansas, prompting Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders to proclaim a state of emergency. Additionally, Dallas County in Alabama reported at least one storm-related death, according to Sheriff Michael L. Granthum.
A state of emergency was also proclaimed by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp on Sunday before the storm moved into his state.
A tornado watch issued by the National Weather Service for parts of southeast Georgia was reposted on the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency’s social media accounts early on Sunday morning.
A watch is in effect for isolated tornadoes, hail, and wind gusts of 50 to 70 mph. “My family is praying for everyone affected by this storm system and those still in its path,” Kemp wrote on the social media site X.
Kemp stated, “We will keep collaborating closely with state and local officials to address damage and determine any requirements in the wake of this weather event.”
At least twelve people were killed by dust storms caused by the system’s early high winds on Friday.
The state highway patrol reports that a pileup of at least 50 cars on a Kansas highway claimed eight lives.
According to authorities, three people died in car wrecks caused by a dust storm near Amarillo, Texas’ Panhandle.
A vast region with a population of over 100 million was expected to be affected by the extreme weather event, which would cause icy blizzards in the north and ignite flames in the warm, arid regions of the country’s south.
In some parts of Oklahoma, officials issued evacuation orders after more than 130 fires were recorded statewide, leaving roughly 300 homes burnt or damaged.
At a press conference on Saturday, Governor Kevin Stitt stated that one of his residences on a ranch northeast of Oklahoma City was among the approximately 266 square miles of land that had burnt.
Blizzard warnings were issued by the National Weather Service starting Saturday morning for regions extending from far eastern South Dakota to western Minnesota.
Up to three to six inches of snow were predicted, with the potential for a foot of snowfall. It was also anticipated that winds would cause whiteout conditions.
Risky tornadoes persisted throughout Saturday night, with the Storm Prediction Center indicating that the area most at risk was from eastern Louisiana and Mississippi to Alabama, western Georgia, and the Florida panhandle.