A series of tornadoes swept through the U.S. Midwest and Southeast overnight, resulting in at least 14 fatalities in Arkansas and Missouri. As of Saturday, the extent of the destruction caused by the storms was still being assessed.
According to police reports, twenty-six tornadoes were reported but not confirmed to have touched down late on Friday night and early on Saturday. These tornadoes were part of a low-pressure system that brought powerful thunderstorms across parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Mississippi, and Missouri, as stated by David Roth, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center.
The risk of more tornadoes remained high on Saturday, particularly in Alabama and Mississippi, with a 30% chance of occurrence. The Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed two tornado-related deaths in southern Missouri’s Bakersfield area and another death in Butler County. Additional fatalities were reported in the state, although specific details were not disclosed.
Arkansas also experienced three storm-related deaths and numerous injuries as a result of the severe weather. The storms were expected to intensify on Saturday night, with the highest level of tornado and severe thunderstorm alerts issued for parts of Mississippi and Alabama.
Reports from Butler County Emergency Management in Missouri indicated extensive damage, with over 500 homes, a church, and a grocery store destroyed. Furthermore, a mobile home park was completely devastated by the storms.
Forecasters predicted that the storms would continue moving eastward, potentially impacting areas as far as the Florida Panhandle and Atlanta by midnight on Saturday.
