The threat of violent tornadoes in parts of the US proved deadly as well as destructive as whipping winds moved east into the Mississippi Valley and Deep South on Saturday, with at least 16 people killed and scores of homes decimated. The most fatalities as of Saturday morning were in Missouri, reports the AP, with 10 people killed. The Missouri State Highway Patrol also reported that multiple people were injured. The deaths included a man who was killed after a tornado ripped apart his home. "It was unrecognizable as a home. Just a debris field," said Coroner Jim Akers of Butler County. "The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls." Rescuers managed to save a woman in the home, Akers said.
Officials in Arkansas said Saturday morning that three people died in Independence County and 29 others were injured across eight counties as storms passed through the state overnight. On Friday, meanwhile, authorities said three people were killed in car crashes during a dust storm in Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle. The deaths come as a massive storm system moving across the country unleashed winds that triggered deadly dust storms and fanned more than 100 wildfires. Extreme weather conditions—including hurricane-force winds—are forecast to affect an area home to more than 100 million people. Winds gusting up to 80mph were predicted from the Canadian border to Texas, threatening blizzard conditions in colder northern areas and wildfire risk in warmer, drier areas to the south. More:
- Wind: The State Patrol said winds were so strong that they spawned more than 130 fires and toppled several tractor-trailers. "I'm not pushing it over 55mph," said Charles Daniel, a truck driver hauling a 48-foot trailer. "I'm scared it will blow over." The Storm Prediction Center said fast-moving storms could spawn twisters and hail as large as baseballs, but the greatest threat would come from straight-line winds near or exceeding hurricane force, with gusts of 100mph possible.
- Wildfires: Wildfires in the Southern Plains threatened to spread rapidly amid warm, dry weather and strong winds, and evacuations were ordered Friday in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and New Mexico.
- And snow: The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of western Minnesota and eastern South Dakota starting early Saturday. Snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches were expected, with up to a foot possible. Winds gusting to 60mph were expected to cause whiteout conditions.
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