Multiple tornadoes have lashed large parts of the US Southeast and Midwest, flattening homes and leaving at least 27 people dead, officials said. The death toll could rise further as the weather worsens over Saturday.
More than 20 twisters were reported overnight into Saturday morning as a low pressure system drove powerful thunderstorms across the center of the country, said David Roth, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.
“Today there is a high risk for more tornadoes across Alabama and Mississippi. The chance is 30%,” he said. “That’s pretty significant.”
The storms brought fierce winds and large hailstonesImage: Lawrence Bryant/REUTERS At least 12 dead in Missouri Authorities said the most fatalities were recorded in Missouri, where at least 12 people were killed.
The state’s police reported that “tornadoes, thunderstorms and large hail” brought down power lines and trees and caused extensive damage to properties.
Eight people died in Kansas as more than 50 vehicles crashed into each other due to low visibility during a “severe dust storm,” local police said. Another four people were killed in similar dust storm-linked road accidents further down south in Texas, authorities said.
Tornadoes also hit Illinois, Mississippi and Arkansas, where officials said at least three people died.
“We have teams out surveying the damage from last night’s tornadoes and have first responders on the ground to assist,” Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on X, adding that she had released $250,000 (€228,000) in disaster recovery funds.
Broadcaster NBC reported that more than 400,000 people in the Midwest and South of the US were left without power.
The storms damaged scores of homes and uprooted trees and power linesImage: Lawrence Bryant/REUTERS How are the storms expected to develop? More tornadoes were forecast in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee throughout Saturday.
The National Weather Service said the storms were moving east, possibly arriving in Florida and Georgia by midnight.
Forecasters also said the extreme weather was expected to gain strength, with the risk of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms increasing later in the evening.
Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah
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