Deadly Storms Rip Through the US, Leaving Destruction in Their Wake
Violent tornadoes ripped through parts of the U.S., wiping out schools and toppling semitractor-trailers in several states, part of a monster storm that has killed at least 26 people as more severe weather was expected late Saturday.
The number of fatalities increased after the Kansas Highway Patrol reported eight people died in a highway pileup caused by a dust storm in Sherman County Friday. At least 50 vehicles were involved.
Missouri recorded more fatalities than any other state as it withstood scattered twisters overnight that killed at least 12 people, authorities said. The deaths included a man who was killed after a tornado ripped apart his home.
“It was unrecognizable as a home. Just a debris field,” said Coroner Jim Akers of Butler County, describing the scene that confronted rescuers. “The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls.”
Rescue Efforts and Destruction
Dakota Henderson said he and others rescuing people trapped in their homes Friday night found five dead bodies scattered in the debris outside what remained of his aunt’s house in hard-hit Wayne County, Missouri.
“It was a very rough deal last night,” he said Saturday, surrounded by uprooted trees and splintered homes. “It’s really disturbing for what happened to the people, the casualties last night.”
Henderson said they rescued his aunt from a bedroom that was the only room left standing in her house, taking her out through a window. They also carried out a man who had a broken arm and leg.
People work through the debris of the Cave City Auto Parts store on Saturday, March 15, 2025 after a severe weather storm Friday night in Cave City, Ark. (Staci Vandagriff/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP)(Staci Vandagriff / AP)
Arkansas and Other Affected States
Officials in Arkansas said Saturday three people died in Independence County and 29 others were injured across eight counties as storms passed through the state.
“We have teams out surveying the damage from last night’s tornadoes and have first responders on the ground to assist,” Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on X. “In the meantime, I just released $250,000 from our Disaster Recovery fund to provide resources for this operation for each of the impacted communities.”
Car Crashes and Extreme Weather Conditions
On Friday, meanwhile, authorities said three people were killed in car crashes during a dust storm in Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle.
Extreme weather conditions were forecast to affect an area home to more than 100 million people. Winds gusting up to 80 mph (130 kph) were predicted from the Canadian border to Texas, threatening blizzard conditions in colder northern areas and wildfire risk in warmer, drier places to the south.
The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of far western Minnesota and far eastern South Dakota starting early Saturday. Snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches were expected, with up to a foot possible.
Winds gusting to 60 mph were expected to cause whiteout conditions.
Wildfires and Evacuations
Evacuations were ordered in some Oklahoma communities as more than 130 fires were reported across the state.
Nearly 300 homes have been damaged or destroyed in Oklahoma due to fire. Gov. Kevin Stitt said at a Saturday news conference that some 266 square miles (about 69 hectares) have burned so far in his state.
A wildfire burns a home down on Friday, March 14, 2025, south of Langston, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)(Alonzo Adams / AP)
Tornadoes and Storm Outbreak
The Storm Prediction Center said fast-moving storms could spawn twisters and hail as large as baseballs on Saturday, but the greatest threat would come from straight-line winds near or exceeding hurricane force, with gusts of 100 mph (160 kph) possible.
Significant tornadoes, some of which could be long-track and violent, are expected Saturday afternoon and evening. The region at highest risk stretches from eastern Louisiana and Mississippi in the afternoon and then Alabama and western portions of Georgia and the Florida panhandle in the evening, the Center said.
Wildfires in Texas and Other States
Apart from Oklahoma, wildfires elsewhere in the Southern Plains threatened to spread rapidly amid warm, dry weather and strong winds in Texas, Kansas, Missouri and New Mexico.
A blaze in Roberts County, Texas, northeast of Amarillo
