Tornado Outbreak Spawns At Least 50 Twisters Across 10 States, Killing 24
The National Weather Service performed tornado damage surveys following the weekend's tornadoes in Arkansas and determined that two twisters received a violent EF4 rating (tornadoes are rated from EF0 to EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, ranked from 0 to 5 based on severity of damage).
One such tornado was confirmed in Izard County, Arkansas. The other, which had the most severe damage near Diaz in Jackson County, was determined to be a high-end EF4 tornado with maximum winds of 190 mph. For comparison, an EF5 tornado has winds of at least 201 mph, and no EF5 tornadoes have been confirmed in the United States since 2013.
On Saturday alone, more than 30 tornadoes were reported across Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Extensive damage was reported across Mississippi and Alabama. Homes were severely damaged in Chilton, Dallas and Walker counties in Alabama.
Drone video showed Tylertown, Mississippi, devastated after two tornadoes were reported in the area within an hour.
In Colbert County, Alabama, baseball-sized hail was reported near the town of Tuscumbia.
Missouri has reported at least 12 storm-related deaths, including six in hard-hit Wayne County and at least three in Ozark County.
A victim in Butler County was killed when a tornado flattened his home. "It was unrecognizable as a home. Just a debris field," coroner Jim Akers told The Associated Press, "The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls."
In Arkansas, three deaths were confirmed in Independence County, with dozens more injuries reported across at least eight counties. The numbers are expected to rise as search and rescue efforts continue in battered areas.
The same storm system battered parts of the Plains on Friday, causing blinding dust storms and leading to deadly crashes that killed more than a dozen people.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC News
3 hours ago
- NBC News
France's biggest wildfire of the summer has eclipsed the size of Paris and is still spreading
France's biggest wildfire in years was spreading quickly Wednesday in a Mediterranean region near Spain after leaving one person dead and several injured, authorities said. The fire burned an area larger than Paris, and the military was called in to help. French Prime Minister François Bayrou deplored a 'disaster on an unprecedented scale' in the region. Over 2,100 firefighters and several water bomber aircraft battled the blaze that broke out Tuesday afternoon in the village of Ribaute in the Aude region, a rural, wooded area that is home to wineries. The fire, which has burned 16,000 hectares (39,500 acres), remained 'very active' on Wednesday and continued to progress as night fell, the local administration said. The weather was hot, dry and windy, making it difficult for firefighters to contain the blaze. Villagers sought to help douse the flames or save their homes and small businesses, and described their alarm at the fire's speed. Ash filled the air and coated windows and cars, and several roads were closed around the region. 'The sky was blue, and then less than an hour later the sky was orange,' said Andy Pickup of Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, at the heart of the fire zone. 'That's when we went out and tried to help.' 'We heard pops and cracks — it was the trees, it was the village,' he told The Associated Press. 'We could see the fires taking hold on all the hills around Saint-Laurent.' At dusk, he said, they saw fires in every direction, some as near as 100 meters (yards) away. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said the military will reinforce efforts starting from Thursday, with several dozen soldiers to be deployed. One person died in their home, and at least 13 others were injured, including 11 firefighters, local authorities said. Three people were missing, the prefecture said. Jacques Piraux, mayor of the village of Jonquières, said all residents have been evacuated. 'It's a scene of sadness and desolation,' he told broadcaster BFM TV after visiting there on Wednesday morning. 'It looks like a lunar landscape, everything is burned. More than half or three-quarters of the village has burned down. It's hellish.' Residents and tourists in nearby areas were requested to remain in their homes unless told to evacuate. Two campgrounds were evacuated as a precaution. The prime minister met Wednesday afternoon with firefighters and residents at Saint-Laurent-de-la-Cabrerisse, where the fire service's command post has been set up. He said he came to express 'national solidarity.' The area's economy is relying on winery and tourism and 'both sectors are affected,' he stressed. Bayrou said an investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the fire. The environment ministry said the Aude region has been experiencing a drought this month, with water use restrictions in place. Lack of rainfall in recent months 'played a major role in the spreading of the fire, since the vegetation is very dry,' the statement said. This week's fire was the biggest since the creation of a national fire database in 2006, according to the national emergency service. Southern Europe has seen multiple large fires this summer. Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness, making the region more vulnerable to wildfires. Last month, a wildfire that reached the southern port of Marseille, France's second-largest city, left around 300 people injured. Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing at twice the speed of the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service. 'We've lived here for 10 years and we've seen nothing like that,'' Pickup said. ''Consistently the summers are getting hotter, there is less and less rain, and that is a major problem.'' 'We have been told the wind might come stronger tomorrow,'' he added.
Los Angeles Times
6 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
After deep DOGE cuts, National Weather Service gets OK to fill up to 450 jobs
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will hire as many as 450 people to shore up the National Weather Service after deep cuts in the spring raised concern about dangerous understaffing, the Trump administration confirmed Wednesday. NOAA was granted permission to fill crucial positions at its weather arm, including openings for meteorologists, hydrologists and electronics technicians, Trump administration officials said. The hirings are part of an exemption to a freeze on federal hiring that is in place through at least Oct. 15. NOAA declined to comment further. The planned hiring was first reported by CNN. President Trump's Department of Government Efficiency has gutted NOAA and the National Weather Service, which are key for the nation's daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, climate monitoring and more. Hundreds of NOAA forecasters and other employees have been laid off, and weather service offices around the country have had a number of vacancies. The administration has also weighed ending the sharing of satellite data that are key to effective storm tracking and stopped tracking the cost of climate change-fueled weather disasters. Meteorologists and climate scientists have warned of consequences with fewer workers in positions that are crucial, especially as the hurricane season got underway. After deadly flash flooding that killed dozens of people in Texas last month, some local officials and Democrats suggested that the deep staffing cuts may have contributed to endangering lives, though others defended the agency's work. Experts cautiously applauded the hiring exemption as positive news. 'While this new development is great news for the NWS and the American public, I would like to see that the hiring actions are actually underway,' said Louis Uccellini, former NOAA administrator for weather services and weather service director. The hirings are said to include the 'mission-critical field positions' that the agency announced it would hire for in June 'to further stabilize front line operations.' The agency did not say at the time how many roles would be filled. St. John writes for the Associated Press.
San Francisco Chronicle
8 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
After deep DOGE cuts, National Weather Service gets OK to fill up to 450 jobs
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will hire as many as 450 people to shore up the National Weather Service after deep cuts this spring raised concern about dangerous understaffing, the Trump administration confirmed Wednesday. NOAA was granted permission to fill critical positions at its weather arm, including openings for meteorologists, hydrologists and electronics technicians, Trump administration officials said. The hirings are part of an exemption to a freeze on federal hiring in place through at least Oct. 15. The planned hiring was first reported by CNN. The Department of Government Efficiency has gutted NOAA and the National Weather Service, which are key for the nation's daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, climate monitoring and more. Hundreds of NOAA forecasters and other employees have been cut, and NWS offices around the country have had a number of vacancies. The administration has also weighed ending the sharing of satellite data that is key to effective storm tracking and stopped tracking the cost of climate change-fueled weather disasters. Meteorologists and climate scientists have warned of consequences with fewer workers in positions that are crucial, especially as the hurricane season got underway. After deadly flash flooding that killed dozens of people in Texas last month, some local officials and Democrats suggested that the deep staffing cuts may have contributed to endangering lives, though others defended the agency's work. 'While this new development is great news for the NWS and the American public, I would like to see that the hiring actions are actually underway,' said Louis Uccellini, former NOAA administrator for weather services and NWS director. The hirings are said to include the 'mission-critical field positions' that the agency announced it would hire for in June 'to further stabilize front line operations." The agency did not say at the time how many roles would be filled. ___ Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at ___ ___
