Multiple locations in the United States have recently been struck by severe tornadoes, causing extensive damage and casualties. This extreme weather event has resulted in at least 32 fatalities, with expectations of even more severe weather later on Saturday. Schools in several states have been destroyed, and semi-trucks have been overturned, highlighting the severity of the disaster.
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03-17, 2025The Kansas Highway Patrol reported that a chain-reaction collision caused by a dust storm in Sherman County on Friday resulted in 8 deaths, increasing the overall death toll. The accident involved at least 50 vehicles, significantly impacting local traffic and requiring extensive cleanup efforts.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves announced that a total of 6 people had died and 3 were missing across three counties in the state. He stated in a post on social media platform X that 29 people were injured statewide. Missouri experienced the highest number of tornado-related deaths, with at least 12 fatalities, including a man whose home was destroyed by a tornado.
Butler County Coroner Jim Akers described the scene faced by rescuers: "There was nothing there to identify it as a house, just complete wreckage. The floors were turned over, and we were walking on the walls." Dakota Henderson stated that he and others discovered five bodies in the wreckage outside his aunt's destroyed home in Wayne County while rescuing people trapped in homes on Friday night. "It was terrible last night," he said, "It was unnerving to see what people were going through."
Arkansas officials reported 3 deaths in Independence County, with another 29 people injured in eight counties. Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders stated on X: "We have teams assessing the damage from last night’s tornadoes, and first responders are on the ground providing assistance." She, Reeves, and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency, with Kemp stating that he did so in response to the potential for severe weather later that day.
Meanwhile, in the Texas panhandle, a dust storm in Amarillo on Friday resulted in three deaths in car crashes. This massive storm system triggered the deadly dust storm and fueled over 100 wildfires. The extreme weather is expected to impact areas inhabited by over 100 million people, prompting widespread concern and preparedness measures.
Winds are projected to reach speeds of up to 130 kilometers per hour from the Canadian border to Texas, with cold northern regions facing blizzards, while warmer and drier southern regions face wildfire risks. The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for far western Minnesota and far eastern South Dakota, forecasting snowfall of 7.6 to 15.2 centimeters, with maximum accumulations of up to 30 centimeters. Wind speeds are expected to reach 97 kilometers per hour, leading to "whiteout" conditions with extremely low visibility.
Some communities in Oklahoma have ordered evacuations, with the state reporting over 130 fires and nearly 300 homes damaged or destroyed. Governor Kevin Stitt stated at a Saturday news conference that approximately 689 square kilometers of land in the state had been burned. The state patrol reported that the winds were so strong that they even overturned several semi-trucks, further complicating rescue and relief efforts.
Experts say that such extreme weather in March is not uncommon. The Storm Prediction Center stated that strong tornadoes would continue on Saturday, with the highest risk area extending from eastern Louisiana and Mississippi to Alabama, western Georgia, and the Florida panhandle. Bailey Dillion, 24, and her fiancé, Kaleb Barnes, watched a large tornado from their front porch in Tylertown, Mississippi, as it struck an area about 0.8 kilometers away at the nearby Paradise Ranch RV Park.
Afterward, they drove over to see if anyone needed help and recorded videos of trees snapped, buildings leveled, and vehicles overturned. "The damage is catastrophic," Dillion said, "There are a lot of cabins, RVs, campers flipped over—everything is destroyed." Paradise Ranch stated via Facebook that all employees and guests were safe, but Dillion said that the damage extended beyond the RV park itself. "The surrounding houses and everything are destroyed," she said, "The schools and buildings are completely gone."
Tad Peters and his father, Richard Peters, heard tornado sirens and saw other motorists fleeing the interstate rest stop as they stopped to refuel in Rolla, Missouri, on Friday night. In a video, Tad Peters can be heard saying, "Wow, is it coming? Oh, it’s coming. It’s coming," followed by, "Look at all the debris. Oh my gosh, we’re getting tornadoed..." His father then closed the window. The two had planned to travel to Indiana for a weightlifting competition but ultimately decided to return to Norman, Oklahoma, about a six-hour drive away, where they encountered wildfires.
Warm, dry weather and high winds threaten rapid spread of wildfires in other parts of the southern Plains in Texas, Kansas, Missouri and New Mexico.
