Topline
At least nine are dead after tornadoes tore through the South and Midwest on Friday, according to local officials, as the National Weather Center placed more areas under tornado watches Saturday morning.
At least nine people are dead after tornadoes struck portions of the South and Midwest.
Key Facts
Four people died and dozens more were injured after a tornado hit Wynne, Arkansas, on Friday, Cross County Coronor Eli Long told a local affiliate, and one woman was killed by another tornado in Madison County, Alabama.
Severe storms also killed three people in Sullivan County, Indiana, and one person in North Little Rock, Arkansas, officials told CNN.
More than 50 tornadoes were recorded across seven states on Friday, according to the National Weather Service, including 22 in Illinois, eight in Iowa, four in Tennessee, five in Wisconsin and more in Mississippi and Arkansas.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-Ark.) issued a state of emergency Friday, adding that the state will “spare no resource” to help relief efforts.
Up turned vehicles are seen next to damages structures after a tornado swept through Coralville, … [+]
Rubble is seen near the Apollo Theatre, early Saturday, April 1, 2023.
Authorities work the scene at the Apollo Theatre after a severe spring storm caused damage and … [+]
A homs is damaged and trees are down after a tornado swept through Little Rock.
Workers cut fallen trees along a road leading to Wynne, Arkansas.
Big Number
315,472. That’s how many people are without power across 10 states in the South and Midwest as of 9:30 a.m., according to PowerOutage.us.
What To Watch For
According to the National Weather Service, several areas in southeastern Indiana, western Ohio and northern Kentucky could still experience tornadoes Saturday morning. The agency placed the cities of Dayton and Cincinnati under a tornado watch and warned of wind gusts up to 70 mph with hail. Tornado watches are also in effect for central to northeast Alabama and northwest Georgia. At least 70 million other people are at risk of severe weather in the Northeast and Southeast—including Philadelphia, New York and Boston—throughout Saturday.
Key Background
A stretch of severe weather Friday comes a week after tornadoes killed at least 26 people across the Southeast. Eldridge Walker, the mayor of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, said that his town had been severely damaged by a tornado and that “my city is gone.” A recent study indicated that portions of the could experience more “supercell” storms—ones that produce tornadoes and hail— in the future, as a change in season shifts wind patterns.
Further Reading
Photos Of Devastation: Tornadoes Kill 26 While Flattening Parts Of Mississippi (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2023/04/01/photos-devastation-after-50-tornadoes-kill-9-across-south-and-midwest-300000-without-power/