Tornadoes Roll Across the Midwest & Mid-South US, Killing Dozens

Written by Team Morecast

 

A powerful early spring storm system moved from the High Plains on Friday towards the Midwest and Ohio Valley on Saturday. Gulf moisture surged north ahead of the system, combining with swirling upper level winds to produce numerous severe storms. These storms spawned dozens of tornadoes, including several long-lived and powerful twisters that leveled whole towns and took many lives.

 

 

 

High southerly winds up to 100 mph (160 kph) swept across the Central Plains during the day on Friday. They whipped up a blinding dust storm in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas (see video above). The near-zero visibilities caused a 50+ vehicle accident on Interstate 70 in Kansas that left eight dead. These winds also brought plentiful Gulf moisture up into the Midwest, helping to spark severe storms later in the afternoon. Kansas City reported storm winds to 70 mph (110 kph), snapping trees and damaging roofs. Large hail up to two inches (5 cm) in diameter pelted the south side of St. Louis, while a tornado destroyed a house on the north side. Tornado development escalated after dark with major damage reported in places like Villa Ridge, Missouri and Cave City, Arkansas (see pictures of the aftermath above).

 

 

 

The severe weather continued into Saturday across the Mid-South. Not one but two massive tornadoes struck Tylertown, Mississippi, leaving catastrophic damage (see videos above). Tornado warnings are still being issued in portions of Alabama as of late Saturday evening. The death toll from severe weather in the last few days has reached 34 with the number likely to rise as clean-up efforts begin.

Latest Posts