Tractor-trailer after it overturned during tornado on March 14. Photo:
Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP
At least 17 people have been killed in a tornado outbreak in the Midwest and the South.
On Friday, March 14, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued severe tornado warnings in the areas from Wisconsin to Missouri.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol (MSHP) said in a post on X that the tornado outbreak caused eleven fatalities across several counties, as well as “multiple injuries” and severe destruction.
“The Patrol and local agencies continue incident operations in several locations. Further updates will be released when received and verified for accuracy,” the MSHP wrote.
Three fatalities were confirmed in Ozark County, six in Wayne County, one in Jefferson County and one in Butler County. The victim killed in Butler County was fatally struck by a tornado in Poplar Bluff, Emergency Management Director Robbie Myers told CNN.
The Butler County Emergency Management Agency did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Saturday, March 15.
Supercell Thunderstorm on the Great Plains, Tornado Alley (stock image). Getty
According to the NWS, the first tornado struck at 3:03 p.m. local time, creating a damage path of 9.4 miles. The second tornado started minutes later at 3:22 p.m., sweeping 13 miles, before a third tornado began around 30 minutes later.
The deadly storms and strong winds also ripped through Arkansas and Texas on March 14. Three fatalities were confirmed in Independence County, and 29 were injured in eight counties in connection to the storm overnight by the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management.
In Texas, at least three people died in vehicle collisions due to the heavy winds “generating severe dust storms,” CNN reported. Two of those fatalities occurred in Parmer County, and a driver died in a crash on Interstate 40 in Gray County, according to the outlet.
The NWS posted a warning on Facebook that the tornado outbreak and severe weather is expected to continue in the affected areas throughout Saturday, March 15.
“Friday and into Saturday morning, an outbreak of severe weather is anticipated, including Widespread damaging winds, several tornadoes (some strong), and large hail,” the organization wrote.
“The severe weather threat continues into Saturday, when an outbreak is expected from the central Gulf coast states/Deep South into the Ohio Valley. Significant tornadoes (focused across the South), swaths of damaging gusts, and hail are expected,” the NWS continued.
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A tornado sweeping across NW Oklahoma (stock image). Getty
At least 22 tornadoes were reported to have swept across the Midwest and South on March 14. Weather experts predict that the tornadoes will increase to a strength of EF4 by Saturday, with hurricane-force winds at a speed of more than 74 mph, CNN reported.
Residents have posted photos online showing their houses destroyed by the tornadoes, with roofs fallen completely off, walls caved in and debris on lawns.
On March 15, the NWS issued tornado warnings to Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, western Georgia, southern Tennessee and the Florida Panhandle as the tornado outbreak sweeps further down south.
The NWS in Wilmington, Ohio, issued a Tornado Watch for Butler County until 6:17 a.m. local time on March 15, before canceling it two hours later, according to the BCMA Facebook page.
