Severe weather disaster: 42 dead after destructive tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms, sweep across US

As people slowly begin the difficult task of cleaning up, at least 42 people are reported dead after days of severe storms, including violent tornadoes.

Key takeaways:

A widespread and violent storm system has claimed at least 42 lives across eight states as of Monday, with additional fatalities emerging in North Carolina Monday. Fire officials there said severe weather also caused a tree to fall on a trailer in Brevard on Sunday, killing two boys, ages 11 and 13.

Sunday was the third day in a row that severe storms packing destructive winds, large hail, tornadoes and flooding downpours target over 20 states and 150 million people.

Storm-related deaths confirmed in each state:

Missouri: 12

Kansas: 8

Arkansas: 3

Alabama: 3

Mississippi: 6

Texas: 4

Oklahoma: 4

North Carolina: 2

The death toll related to Oklahoma's storm-driven wildfires and winds was increased to a total of four, state officials said. The deaths were related to fire or high wind, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said, citing the state chief medical examiner’s office. They were reported in Lincoln, Garfield, Haskell and Pawnee counties

At least six new deaths and 29 injuries were reported in Mississippi Sunday and a spokesperson for Gov. Kay Ivey said three people died in Alabama. Officials reported two deaths in Dallas County and one in Winterboro in Talladega County as a new round of severe weather ripped through the United States Saturday night into Sunday.

"Unfortunately, we have learned of the loss of at least two of our fellow Alabamians — one life in Plantersville and one in Winterboro,” Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said in a statement Sunday. “The sun has risen in Alabama, though. We pray for those lives we lost, as well as those who were injured. And we pray for our first responders, emergency management officials and linemen who are doing incredible work on the ground right now.”

Authorities are assessing destruction across the state and damage has been reported in 52 of the state’s 67 counties.

In Mississippi, a tornado tore through Tylerstown Saturday evening causing extensive damage and killing three people, WDSU reported. Two people were killed in the same home in Jefferson Davis County and another death was reported in Covington County, Gov. Tate Reeves said.

Three additional people are currently missing, according to the governor. Two from Covington County and one from Walthall County. The governor declared a state of emergency Saturday evening.

Damage consistent with an EF-4 tornado near Diaz in Jackson County was reported by The National Weather Service in Little Rock which reported estimated winds of up to 190 mph. 

Significant damage was reported late Saturday night in Calera, Alabama. The pastor of Calera Baptist Church said the sanctuary was heavily damaged, including the roof torn off the building, but, thankfully, no one was hurt. After the storm passed, the city posted a statement on Facebook saying, "We are happy to report that as of now, no one was injured from the storm that came through earlier this evening."

At least 12 people in Missouri and 4 in Arkansas were killed and many more were injured after severe storms, including multiple tornadoes, swept through the central United States late Friday night into Saturday, and at least four people were killed Friday afternoon after extreme winds, monster dust storms and wildfires tore across Texas and Oklahoma.

Oklahoma officials reported more than 130 blazes across 44 counties. Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a morning press conference that more than 170,000 acres burned and 293 homes and buildings were damaged. Stitt also reported one death related to wildfire smoke, and credited the low death toll to the success of evacuation alerts. Stitt said his own ranch burned down in the wildfires but vowed to rebuild.

The deadly storms ripped apart houses and businesses and entire neighborhoods are unrecognizable. Parts of Missouri and Mississippi experienced some of the worst of the extreme weather.

At least 8 killed in major 71-vehicle crash in Kansas on Saturday

On Saturday, at least 8 people were killed in a massive pileup on I-70 in Kansas, the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) reported in a social media post.

The crash happened at 9:46 a.m. Troopers say a total of 71 vehicles were involved and blame a combination of powerful wind gusts and blowing dust that whipped up a severe dust storm and created near zero visibility conditions in the area.

The crash forced the closure of both eastbound and westbound I-70 from Goodland to Colby.

“My thoughts are with those affected by this tragic event,” said Governor Laura Kelly. “I encourage all motorists to remain vigilant as the potential for further weather events continue today. Thank you to the first responders and emergency personnel who responded quickly and continue work to investigate and clear this crash.”

Goodland Fire Chief Brian James reported the following on social media:

“I must say yesterday was the toughest and most emotional draining experience in my 22 years of being in the fire service. Trying to manage multiple agencies, over thirty patients, triaging patients, working over 55 vehicles, fighting the wind with dirt so bad you can’t see over 50 to 100 feet, and trying to keep my crews and myself safe was just something to process. I don’t think people realize the dedication these men and women give to make this community safe and secure. We had to think outside the box to get patients transported to hospitals in Goodland and Colby by using our fire department support vehicle with AEMT’s in the back to using patrol vehicles from Goodland Police Department, Sherman County Sheriff’s Office and Kansas Highway Patrol. I’m sorry for the lives lost in this incident, but I’m grateful for the ones we could save.

New wave of tornadoes tears across South on Saturday

Tornadoes and damaging thunderstorms began pummeling the Tennessee Valley and Gulf Coast states on Saturday afternoon as the severe weather threat shifted eastward, damaging homes and snapping trees.

A pair of tornado-warned storms moved in tandem across southern Mississippi during the afternoon, with a "confirmed, large and extremely dangerous tornado" barreling into Taylorsville shortly after 2 p.m. CDT. Less than an hour later, residents in the town rushed to shelter again as the second storm tracked over the same area.

 After suffering heavy damage, Taylorsville will be under a curfew that began at 8 p.m. Saturday and will run through 8 a.m. Sunday, Taylorsville Police Department Chief Gabe Horn said.

To add to the chaos, a magnitude 3.0 earthquake rattled central Mississippi at the same time the first tornado plowed into Taylorsville.

'I actually could hear the audible roar as it passed by'

Storm Chaser Aaron Jayjack reported live from eastern Mississippi after a rain-wrapped tornado caused damage near the town of Pachuta. Jayjack explained how he saw the twister pass right in front of him.

"I got in position for that storm...Right before it got to me, that debris ball appeared again. But the storm was really wrapped in rain and I got as close as I could safely get to the storm," Jayjack told AccuWeather on-air meteorologist Geoff Cornish. "I actually could hear the audible roar as it passed by, saw some tree limbs down. I made my out of where those limbs were down and eventually I saw a vehicle had actually hydroplaned down the road."

Jayjack said conditions in parts of the state are very dangerous. "Not just because of the tornadoes, but heavy rain, we have flash flood warnings here...You're driving around, you hit those big puddles of water, you can hydroplane and end up in a ditch."

More than 500 reports of severe weather, including strong winds, hail and tornadoes, have been tallied across the Plains, Gulf Coast and Midwest since the first storms erupted on Friday.

Death toll rises from storms, tornadoes on Friday night

Twelve of the 15 deaths from Friday's severe weather outbreak happened in Missouri, with six reported at several campgrounds in Wayne County, according to CNN.

Another fatality was confirmed by Missouri State Highway Patrol in Jefferson County and the deaths of three people were also reported in the Bakersfield area of Ozark County.

A man died in Butler County when a tornado struck a mobile home park near Poplar Bluff, located about 100 miles east of Bakersfield, WSILTV reported. Coroner Jim Akers described the “unrecognizable home” as “just a debris field.”

“The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls," he said, according to the AP.

Authorities there also reported that buildings in the city were significantly damaged, including a supermarket and a kindergarten facility.

Dakota Henderson told CNN that he and others rescuing trapped neighbors found five bodies scattered in the debris Friday night outside what was left of his aunt’s house in Wayne County, Missouri.

“It was a very rough deal last night,” Henderson said “It’s really disturbing for what happened to the people, the casualties last night.”

On Saturday, officials from St. Louis County confirmed the sudden death of a woman found dead in her yard overnight to be a storm-related death due to “possible electrocution.”

“We are deeply saddened to confirm this death due to Friday’s severe weather,” said County Executive Sam Page via a news release. “This heartbreaking tragedy underscores that downed power lines are extremely dangerous, and they are not always visible.”

Three people were also killed Friday in Independence County, Arkansas, and dozens more were injured due to severe weather in the northern part of the state. Crashes were reported near Rolla, Missouri.

"For your safety, please avoid the area and allow first responders to do their job. I-44 and MO 72 are impacted, with debris causing closures. Power lines are down—DO NOT drive over them," Corporal Raclicia Tyler with Missouri State Highway Patrol said in a release.

"In the aftermath of the storms across Missouri, we’re on duty all night," Missouri Highway Patrol posted on Facebook. "Rescue Efforts – We’re currently trying to locate and assist those in need. Call 911 or *55 for help. Keep Safe – Avoid downed power lines, pay attention to road closures and check on your neighbors. Theft Prevention – Unfortunately, storms can attract looters. We are in affected areas to prevent theft and protect property. Report any suspicious activity immediately."

Tad Peters and his father, Richard Peters, had pulled over in Rolla to put gas in their truck on Friday night when they heard tornado sirens and ended up recording themselves as a tornado surrounded their vehicle

“Whoa, is this coming? Oh, it’s here. It’s here,” Tad Peters can be heard saying on the video. “Look at all that debris. Ohhh. My God, we are in a tornado!”

Authorities in the hard-hit town of Elliott, Mississippi, spent the night searching for survivors after massive nocturnal tornadoes tore through the state, leaving an unfathomable amount of destruction behind.

"It lasted about 10 minutes. We heard it coming. Sounded like a freight train," an Elliott resident said. "All of the sudden we heard something. That tree. Boom!"

Rescuers with flashlights were going from the rubble of one house to the next, rescuing people trapped in heavy debris.

Multiple tornadoes also struck northeastern Arkansas between 9:00 p.m. and midnight, with at least 10 radar-detected tornadoes touching down in counties across the state.

Nocturnal tornadoes are particularly dangerous as people can't see them coming and don't know to take shelter.

'It looks like a bomb went off; it actually does'

Catastrophic storm damage has also been left behind in Cushman and Cave City in Arkansas. Located about 130 miles northwest of Memphis, Tennessee, the towns are so damaged some neighborhoods are unrecognizable. On Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Little Rock, Arkansas, said that they had found damage "at the top of the EF3" range of the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

"There's all kinds of devastation. The power lines are down. There's trees down, it's just, it's horrible," Cave City resident David Kunkel told Storm chaser Brandon Clement.

In some cases, the destruction is so bad it's difficult to tell what building you're looking at in video footage.

"Everything is just total destruction. There's several homes just completely leveled. Our auto parts store is completely leveled...it looks like a bomb went off; it actually does," one Cave City resident said early Saturday morning. "All the houses have the roofs ripped off them, a lot of houses have caved in."

On Sunday Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders toured hard-hit Independence County in which three people were killed and said she was thankful to see so many people taking care of one another.

Power outages in Missouri improved by Sunday evening with 40,000 customers without power in the state, according to Poweroutage.Us. As the storm moved northeast it knocked out power with 31,000 customers out in West Virginia and Pennsylvania reporting 163,000 outages. Approximately 80,000 were without power in New York City on Sunday evening.

Further south, power in Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama and other southeast states had been restored to most of those who had lost it over the weekend due to the severe weather.

Storm survey teams will continue to assess damage, debris and radar data to determine the exact number, paths and strength of tornadoes. It will take several days for the damage surveys to be conducted.

The widespread severe weather outbreak impacted more than two dozen states as it progressed eastward Sunday.

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