Millions of Americans are on high alert for a severe weather outbreak as violent, long-track tornadoes with damaging winds up to 80 mph and large hail are forecasted to hit the Midwest and South. The storm system is moving eastward, causing concern across the country.
Tragically, at least 18 people have lost their lives due to severe weather that struck parts of Missouri, Texas, and Arkansas overnight. Multiple tornadoes have been confirmed in Mississippi, including two considered to be in a particularly dangerous situation. One large and extremely hazardous tornado was spotted over Mendenhall, moving northeast at 45 mph, while another was located near Tylertown, moving northeast at 50 mph.
Additional tornadoes have been reported in Okolona, Mississippi, and a new particularly dangerous situation tornado watch has been issued for Alabama. The Storm Prediction Center warns of significant, long-track, and violent tornadoes potentially hitting cities like Hattiesburg, Jackson, Tuscaloosa, and Birmingham.
The severe weather outbreak is expected to continue into Saturday with the possibility of damaging winds, large hail, and brief tornadoes affecting the Southeast. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency in preparation for the severe weather moving into the state.
As the storm system progresses, the East Coast from Florida to the Mid-Atlantic is expected to experience severe weather on Sunday, with the threat diminishing as the system moves northeast. The severe weather outbreak is part of a large cross-country storm system that is also causing fire danger and red flag warnings across the Plains.
The state highway patrol reported that three people were confirmed dead in Independence County, Arkansas, according to the state’s emergency management division. Officials also stated that four individuals were reported dead in Texas on Saturday. The morning after a tornado hit Florissant, Missouri on March 15, 2025, debris was scattered around damaged houses. At least 29 individuals were injured across eight Arkansas counties, as confirmed by state emergency officials. Furthermore, a total of 238,792 customers are currently without power in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Texas, and Arkansas, according to Poweroutage.us.
On March 15 at 1:54 PM, millions of Americans were on high alert for severe weather and tornado watches in effect in eight states: Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. A new particularly dangerous situation tornado watch was issued for much of Mississippi and parts of eastern Louisiana until 6 p.m. CT, including cities such as Jackson, Tupelo, Meridian in Mississippi, and Baton Rouge in Louisiana. The National Weather Service warned of an imminent tornado outbreak with the potential for multiple intense to violent long-track tornadoes from mid-day through the evening.
Another tornado watch remains in place for southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana until 1 p.m. CT, with a line of severe storms moving east across the region, bringing the threat of strong tornadoes, damaging wind gusts, and large hail. Any stronger, slow-moving storms accompanied by heavy rain could also lead to dangerous flash flooding in the hours to come.
