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Los Angeles Times
03-04-2025
- Climate
- Los Angeles Times
Violent storms cut through the South and Midwest, spawning tornadoes and killing 6
LAKE CITY, Ark. — Tornadoes and violent winds flattened homes and ripped apart buildings from Oklahoma to Indiana in the first round of storms that are expected to bring record-setting rains and life-threatening flash floods across the nation's midsection in the coming days. At least six people were killed in western Tennessee, Missouri and Indiana in the first wave on Wednesday and early Thursday that spun off powerful tornadoes — one launching debris nearly 5 miles above the ground in Arkansas. Homes along the highway that crosses through Lake City, Ark., had completely collapsed, their brick walls crushed and roofs gone. Three cars were tossed into trees. Workers were using bulldozers to clear debris. 'I don't really know how to explain it,' said Cody Ferguson, who hid in a storm shelter with neighbors while the twister roared above them. 'Just real loud rumbling, a lot of bangs, debris.' The home he had built from the ground up was destroyed, and he said a neighbor from across the street was seriously injured. Among the deaths, at least four people were killed in western Tennessee, including a man and his teenage daughter whose home was destroyed, and an Indiana man who died after his pickup truck struck downed power lines. More than 90 million people were at risk of severe weather across an area stretching from Texas to Minnesota and Maine, according to the Oklahoma-based Storm Prediction Center. Potentially deadly flash flooding was forecast through Saturday for the South and Midwest as severe thunderstorms blowing eastward become supercharged. The potent storm system will bring 'significant, life-threatening flash flooding' each day, the National Weather Service said. With more than a foot of rain possible over the next four days, the prolonged deluge 'is an event that happens once in a generation to once in a lifetime,' the weather service said. 'Historic rainfall totals and impacts are possible.' Water rescue teams were being staged across the region and the Federal Emergency Management Agency was ready to distribute food, water, cots, generators and meals. Forecasters attributed the violent weather to warm temperatures, an unstable atmosphere, strong wind shear and abundant moisture streaming from the Gulf. Under darkened skies Thursday morning, the remains of a used car dealership in Selmer, Tenn., stood gutted by the storm with the roof ripped off. Shards of debris scattered across the car lot and wrapped around the mangled trees. The Tennessee Highway Patrol released video of lightning illuminating the sky as troopers, Selmer police, sheriff's deputies and firefighters scoured the rubble of a decimated home early Thursday morning, looking for anyone trapped. In neighboring Arkansas, a tornado emergency, the weather service's highest alert, was briefly declared around Blytheville on Wednesday evening, with debris lofted at least 25,000 feet, according to weather service meteorologist Chelly Amin. The Arkansas Division of Emergency Management reported damage in 22 counties due to tornadoes, wind gusts, hail and flash flooding. In far western Kentucky, four people were injured while taking shelter in a vehicle under a church carport, said the emergency management office in Ballard County. Multiple buildings and homes were badly damaged from what appeared to have been a tornado, the agency said. Emergency crews worked for several hours to free a warehouse worker trapped after a roof and a wall collapsed near Indianapolis. The woman was conscious and talking during the rescue on Wednesday. 'It was just heavy debris that had fallen on top of her,' Brownsburg Fire Department spokesperson Kamrick Holding told WTHR-TV. 'She happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.' Wind gusts blew over semitrucks, downed power lines and caused power outages that disrupted classes in at least 10 school districts in Indiana. More than half a million customers in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee, West Virginia, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas were without power early Thursday following the peak of the storms, according to Round after round of heavy rains are expected from Texas to Kentucky through Saturday. Forecasters warned that the lingering storms could track over the same areas repeatedly, producing dangerous flash floods capable of sweeping cars away. Parts of Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois and Indiana could see rains totaling up to 15 inches, the weather service warned. Western Kentucky residents were bracing for historic amounts of rain and flooding in places that normally don't get overwhelmed by water, Gov. Andy Beshear said. Flash flooding is a particular worry in rural areas of the state where floodwaters can quickly rush off the mountains into the hollows. Less than four years ago, dozens died in flooding across eastern Kentucky. Sainz, Walker and Seewer write for the Associated Press. Walker reported from Selmer, Tenn., and Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. AP writers Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Ark.; Seth Borenstein in Washington; Isabella O'Malley in Philadelphia; Kathy McCormack in Concord, N.H.; Bruce Schreiner in Louisville, Ky.; Jeff Martin in Atlanta; Hallie Golden in Seattle; and Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.
Boston Globe
03-04-2025
- Climate
- Boston Globe
Violent storms cut through the South and Midwest, spawning tornadoes and killing 4
'It looks like a swimming pool in my front yard,' he told The Associated Press. Advertisement Dozens of tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued from Texas to West Virginia. Potentially deadly flash flooding was also forecast for the South and Midwest as severe thunderstorms blowing eastward become supercharged. The potent storm system will bring 'significant, life-threatening flash flooding' each day through Saturday, the National Weather Service said. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up With more than a foot (30 centimeters) of rain possible over the next four days, the prolonged deluge 'is an event that happens once in a generation to once in a lifetime,' the weather service said. 'Historic rainfall totals and impacts are possible.' Forecasters attributed the violent weather to warm temperatures, an unstable atmosphere, strong wind shear and abundant moisture streaming from the Gulf. Water rescue teams were being staged across the region and the Federal Emergency Management Agency was ready to distribute food, water, cots, generators and meals. Advertisement More than 90 million people were at risk of severe weather across an area stretching from Texas to Minnesota and Maine, according to the Oklahoma-based Storm Prediction Center. Tornadoes touch down, and more could be coming A tornado emergency, the weather service's highest alert, was briefly declared around Blytheville, Arkansas, on Wednesday evening, with debris lofted at least 25,000 feet (7.6 kilometers), according to weather service meteorologist Chelly Amin. The Arkansas Division of Emergency Management reported damage in 22 counties due to tornadoes, wind gusts, hail and flash flooding. Volunteer firefighters and police officers in Lake City, Arkansas, searched through rubble and rescued people overnight. Residents were without electricity and some were also without water, Mayor Cameron Tate said in a Thursday morning Facebook post. In far western Kentucky, four people were injured while taking shelter in a vehicle under a church carport, said the emergency management office in Ballard County. Multiple buildings and homes were badly damaged from what appeared to have been a tornado, the agency said. Warehouse collapse is part of damage in Indiana Two workers were injured on Wednesday when the roof and a wall collapsed at a Sur La Table distribution center in Brownsburg, Indiana, a company spokesperson said in a statement. Emergency crews worked for several hours to free a trapped worker there. 'It was just heavy debris that had fallen on top of her,' Brownsburg Fire Department spokesperson Kamrick Holding told WTHR-TV. 'She happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.' The woman was conscious and talking during the rescue. Her condition was not immediately known. Five semitrucks were blown over on Interstate 65 near Lowell, Indiana, state police reported. Advertisement At least 10 districts in Indiana canceled or delayed in-person classes on Thursday. Indianapolis Public Schools announced a remote learning day due to power outages at multiple buildings. A tornado touched down in the northeastern Oklahoma city of Owasso on Wednesday, according to the weather service. There were no immediate reports of injuries, but the twister heavily damaged the roofs of homes and knocked down power lines, trees, fences and sheds. More than half a million customers in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee, West Virginia, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas were without power as of Thursday morning, according to Floods could inundate towns, sweep cars away Additional rounds of heavy rain were expected in parts of Texas, the lower Mississippi Valley and the Ohio Valley from midweek through Saturday. Forecasters warned that they could Rain totaling up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) was forecast over the next week in northeastern Arkansas, the southeast corner of Missouri, western Kentucky and southern parts of Illinois and Indiana, the weather service warned, with some areas in Kentucky and Indiana at an especially high risk for flooding. Associated Press writers Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Arkansas; Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee; Seth Borenstein in Washington; Isabella O'Malley in Philadelphia; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; and Ed White in Detroit contributed to this report.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Severe storms slam Midwest, South as flash flooding concerns linger
(NewsNation) — Brutal storms are sweeping through the Midwest and South, reportedly killing at least one person and downing power across a swath of states. Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Mississippi saw dozens of tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings on Wednesday, with 2.5 million people in multiple states falling under a relatively rare 'high-risk' category. The National Weather Service forecasts the storms will linger across the central and southern U.S. for days, causing 'life-threatening, catastrophic, and potentially historic flash flooding.' How the Southeast is doing six months since Hurricane Helene In southeast Missouri, potential tornadoes tore through towns, ripping roofs off buildings and toppling trees. At least one person in the Ozarks area was killed during the storm, according to local reporting. EF-1 tornado damage has been identified in the area, according to NWS damage survey results. Eight train cars were also knocked off their tracks, NewsNation local affiliate KSNF reports. Arkansas saw multiple suspected tornadoes on Wednesday as a rare Tornado Emergency alert was briefly issued in the state, National Weather Service meteorologist Chelly Amin told the AP. 'It's definitely going to be a really horrible situation here come sunrise in the morning in those areas,' Amin said. The Arkansas Division of Emergency Management on Wednesday reported at least four people were hurt, and damage has been reported across 22 counties from the storms. DOGE cuts could hinder weather forecasting At least one person in Indiana was hospitalized when a tornado barreled through the Sur La Table warehouse in Brownsburg, Indiana, according to NewsNation local affiliate WTTV. Other damage included five overturned semi trucks on the interstate near Lowell, Ind., per state police. Four people were injured in Kentucky when a church was hit by debris from a suspected tornado, according to Ballard County Emergency Management, On Wednesday, the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency declared a rare Level 3 state of emergency. With more than a foot of rain possible over the next four days, the prolonged deluge 'is an event that happens once in a generation to once in a lifetime,' the weather service said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Deadly storms slash through the South and Midwest
Violent storms cut through a wide swath of the South and Midwest, spawning tornadoes and killing at least one person, knocking down power lines and trees and ripping roofs off homes. Dozens of tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued Wednesday in parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Mississippi as storms hit those and other states in the evening. Forecasters attributed the violent weather to daytime heating combining with an unstable atmosphere, strong wind shear and abundant moisture streaming into the nation's midsection from the Gulf. At least one person was killed in southeast Missouri, KFVS-TV reported, while part of a warehouse collapsed in a suburb of Indianapolis, temporarily trapping at least one person inside. In northeast Arkansas a rare tornado emergency was issued as debris flew thousands of feet in the air. The coming days were also forecast to bring the risk of potentially deadly flash flooding to the South and Midwest as severe thunderstorms blowing eastward become supercharged. The potent storm system will bring 'significant, life-threatening flash flooding' each day through Saturday, the National Weather Service said. Missouri tornado leaves residents stunned: 'Keep us in your prayers' With more than a foot (30 centimeters) of rain possible over the next four days, the prolonged deluge 'is an event that happens once in a generation to once in a lifetime,' the weather service said. 'Historic rainfall totals and impacts are possible.' More than 90 million people were at some risk of severe weather in a huge part of the nation stretching from Texas to Minnesota and Maine, according to the Oklahoma-based Storm Prediction Center. A tornado emergency — the weather service's highest alert — was briefly declared around Blytheville, Arkansas, on Wednesday evening, with debris lofted at least 25,000 feet (7.6 kilometers), according to Chelly Amin, a meteorologist with the service. 'It's definitely going to be a really horrible situation here come sunrise in the morning in those areas,' Amin said. A tornado was also reported on the ground near Harrisburg, Arkansas, in the evening. The Arkansas Division of Emergency Management reported that there was damage in 22 counties due to tornadoes, wind gusts, hail and flash flooding. At least four people were injured, but there were no reports of fatalities as of Wednesday evening. Storms batter central Indiana In Kentucky, a tornado touched down Wednesday night around Jeffersontown, a suburb of Louisville, passing the Interstate 64 and Interstate 265 interchange, according to the weather service. Four people were injured in Kentucky when a church was hit by debris from a suspected tornado, according to Ballard County Emergency Management. One person was in critical condition, while the others have non-life-threatening injuries. In Brownsburg, Indiana, where part of a warehouse collapsed, the police department told people to not travel through the city. Five semitrucks were blown over on Interstate 65 near Lowell, Indiana, state police reported. In Pilot Grove, Missouri, several structures were damaged, cars flipped over and power poles were snapped, the state emergency management agency said. Minor injuries were reported, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Authorities in eastern Missouri were trying to determine whether it was a tornado that damaged buildings, overturned vehicles and tore down utility poles, tree limbs and business signs in the morning in and around the city of Nevada. Another tornado touched down in the northeastern Oklahoma city of Owasso on Wednesday, according to the weather service. There were no immediate reports of injuries, but the twister heavily damaged the roofs of homes and knocked down power lines, trees, fences and sheds. Power was knocked out to nearly 90,000 customers in Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee, according to which tracks outages nationwide. As storms moved through Indiana on Wednesday night, more than 182,000 customers lost power. About 2.5 million people were in a rarely called 'high-risk' zone, covering parts of west Tennessee including Memphis; northeast Arkansas; the southeast corner of Missouri; and parts of western Kentucky and southern Illinois. The Storm Prediction Center said 'multiple long-track EF3+ tornadoes' were likely. Tornadoes of that magnitude are among the strongest in intensity. At a slightly lower risk for severe weather was an area that included Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Louisville, Kentucky. Dallas, Detroit, Milwaukee and Nashville, Tennessee, were also at risk. A line of thunderstorms dropped heavy rain through parts of Indiana on Wednesday night. At least one street was flooded in Indianapolis, with water nearly reaching the windows of several cars, according to the city's metropolitan police department. No one was in the vehicles. Additional rounds of heavy rain were expected in parts of Texas, the lower Mississippi Valley and the Ohio Valley from midweek through Saturday. Forecasters warned that they could track over the same areas repeatedly, producing dangerous flash floods capable of sweeping cars away. Middle Tennessee was looking at severe storms followed by four days of heavy rains as the front stalls out and sticks around through the weekend, according to NWS meteorologist Mark Rose. 'I don't recall ever seeing one like this, and I've been here 30 years,' Rose said. 'It's not moving.' Rain totaling up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) was forecast over the next seven days in northeastern Arkansas, the southeast corner of Missouri, western Kentucky and southern parts of Illinois and Indiana, the weather service warned, with some areas in Kentucky and Indiana at an especially high risk for flooding. In Michigan, crews worked to restore power after a weekend ice storm. More than 122,000 customers were still without electricity on Wednesday, according to The Mackinac Bridge connecting Michigan's Lower and Upper Peninsulas was shut down because large chunks of ice were falling from cables and towers. It was the third consecutive day of bridge interruptions from the ice storm. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
03-04-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Severe storms in South and Midwest turn deadly
Violent storms cut through a wide swath of the South and Midwest, spawning tornadoes and killing at least two people, knocking down power lines and trees and ripping roofs off homes. Dozens of tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued Wednesday in parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Mississippi as storms hit those and other states in the evening. Numerous possible twisters were reported in the South overnight, particularly in Tennessee and Kentucky. Forecasters attributed the violent weather to daytime heating combining with an unstable atmosphere, strong wind shear and abundant moisture streaming into the nation's midsection from the Gulf. Sgt. Clark Parrott of the Missouri Highway Patrol said at least one person was killed in southeast Missouri, CBS Cape Girardeau affiliate KFVS-TV reported, while part of a warehouse collapsed in a suburb of Indianapolis, temporarily trapping at least one person inside. In northeast Arkansas, a rare tornado emergency was issued as debris flew thousands of feet in the air. The Tennessee Department of Health confirmed to CBS News that the state had two weather-related fatalities, one in McNairy County, outside Memphis, and the other in Obion County, in extreme northwest Tennessee. The coming days were also forecast to bring the risk of potentially deadly flash flooding to the South and Midwest as severe thunderstorms blowing eastward become supercharged. The potent storm system will bring "significant, life-threatening flash flooding" each day through Saturday, the National Weather Service said. With more than a foot of rain possible over the next four days, the prolonged deluge "is an event that happens once in a generation to once in a lifetime," the weather service said. "Historic rainfall totals and impacts are possible." More than 90 million people were at some risk of severe weather in a huge part of the nation stretching from Texas to Minnesota and Maine, according to the Oklahoma-based Storm Prediction Center. A tornado emergency - the weather service's highest alert - was briefly declared around Blytheville, Arkansas, on Wednesday evening, with debris lofted at least 25,000 feet, according to Chelly Amin, a meteorologist with the service. A tornado was also reported on the ground near Harrisburg, Arkansas, in the evening. The Arkansas Division of Emergency Management reported that there was damage in 22 counties due to tornadoes, wind gusts, hail and flash flooding. At least four people were injured, but there were no reports of fatalities as of Wednesday evening. In Kentucky, a tornado touched down Wednesday night around Jeffersontown, a suburb of Louisville, passing the Interstate 64 and Interstate 265 interchange, according to the weather service. Four people were injured in Kentucky when a church was hit by debris from a suspected tornado, according to Ballard County Emergency Management. One person was in critical condition, while the others have non-life-threatening injuries. In Brownsburg, Indiana, where part of a warehouse collapsed, the police department told people to not travel through the city. Five semitrucks were blown over on Interstate 65 near Lowell, Indiana, state police reported. Indianapolis Public Schools announced a remote learning day Thursday due to power outages at multiple buildings. At least 10 districts in Indiana have canceled or delayed in-person classes Thursday. The town of Delta, in southern Missouri, which has under 400 people, had downed powerlines and trees, and damaged buildings. Road entrances to the town were blocked off. School was canceled for the rest of the week as the Red Cross and an electric utility took over a parking lot at the high school. "There is too much damage in town," Superintendent David Heeb posted online. "We need to give our families a chance to regroup and take care of the things they need to focus on right now." In Pilot Grove, Missouri, several structures were damaged, cars flipped over and power poles were snapped, the state emergency management agency said. Minor injuries were reported, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Authorities in eastern Missouri were trying to determine whether it was a tornado that damaged buildings, overturned vehicles and tore down utility poles, tree limbs and business signs in the morning in and around the city of Nevada. Another tornado touched down in the northeastern Oklahoma city of Owasso on Wednesday, according to the weather service. There were no immediate reports of injuries, but the twister heavily damaged the roofs of homes and knocked down power lines, trees, fences and sheds. Power was knocked out to more than 330,000 customers in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois and Tennessee as of Thursday morning, according to which tracks outages nationwide. A line of thunderstorms dropped heavy rain through parts of Indiana on Wednesday night. At least one street was flooded in Indianapolis, with water nearly reaching the windows of several cars, according to the city's metropolitan police department. No one was in the vehicles. Additional rounds of heavy rain were expected in parts of Texas, the lower Mississippi Valley and the Ohio Valley from midweek through Saturday. Forecasters warned that they could track over the same areas repeatedly, producing dangerous flash floods capable of sweeping cars away. Middle Tennessee was looking at severe storms followed by four days of heavy rains as the front stalls out and sticks around through the weekend, according to NWS meteorologist Mark Rose. "I don't recall ever seeing one like this, and I've been here 30 years," Rose said. "It's not moving." Rain totaling up to 15 inches was forecast over the next seven days in northeastern Arkansas, the southeast corner of Missouri, western Kentucky and southern parts of Illinois and Indiana, the weather service warned, with some areas in Kentucky and Indiana at an especially high risk for flooding.
