Almost 270,000 utility customers across the Midwest and the South are without power as severe storms are expected to continue bombarding the region with tornadoes, widespread winds and even large hail.
As of 10:20 a.m. today, over 268,660 utility customers were without power, including over 138,000 in Missouri, 42,000 in Illinois and 37,000 in Indiana, according to PowerOutages.US. Over 30,000 were without power in Texas and 19,000 in Arkansas.
At least 3 people were killed after a storm system moved through Arkansas overnight, according to the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management (ADEM).
Officials said the deaths were all in Independence County, northern Arkansas, but did not include any details regarding how they were killed. An additional 29 people were injured across eight counties, they added.
The number of victims “are preliminary and subject to change,” the division said in an update.
So far, 16 counties have reported damage to ADEM, including Independence, Clark, Hot Spring, Nevada and Fulton.
“Most counties are still assessing the full extent of the damage, but reports indicate impacts to homes, businesses and downed power lines and trees,” the division said.
At least 10 people have been killed in Missouri as a result of severe weather that has been impacting the state since yesterday, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Six of the fatalities were in Wayne County, while two were in Ozark County, MSHP said on X. One person was killed in Butler County and another was killed in Jefferson County.
“We urge residents to stay away from debris-filled areas, watch for downed power lines, and follow regional emergency services for localized updates,” the patrol warned.
Experts say it’s not unusual to see such weather extremes in March.
“What’s unique about this one is its large size and intensity,” said Bill Bunting of the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. “And so what that is doing is producing really substantial impacts over a very large area.”
There were three fatal crashes in the Amarillo area yesterday due to high winds and low visibility, said Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Cindy Barkley. The exact number of deaths in those crashes was not immediately clear.
At least one person died and two others were injured in a crash between three semis and four other vehicles in Palmer County, said Cesar Marquez, city manager and fire chief in Bovina. It was not clear if the crash was included in the three in the Amarillo area.
There was “so much blowing dirt we were getting shocked every time we got near something,” Marquez said.
Parts of northern Texas saw gusts as strong as 62 mph, according to National Weather Service data.
The dust was not the only concern. The same system whipped up wildfires in Texas and Oklahoma on Friday as the low pressure system moved east.
The largest of the state’s six active wildfires, the Windmill Fire in Roberts County, grew from 500 to 18,000 acres in less than a day, according to Texas A&M Forest Service. The blaze was 50% contained Friday night.
