In numerous states, apocalyptic storms have resulted in tornadoes, wildfires, and dust storms that have killed at least 17 people.<\/p>\n
As devastating tornadoes ripped over the Midwest on Friday night, Missouri confirmed over a dozen deaths, while Texas and Arkansas reported at least three additional fatalities.<\/p>\n
Hurricane-strength winds unleashed severe thunderstorms, whipped up fatal dust storms, and fueled over 100 wildfires, while massive storms flipped cars and wrecked homes, injuring many more.<\/p>\n
Over 138 million people are expected to be impacted by the severe weather, which includes gusts of up to 100 mph from the Canadian border to Texas.<\/p>\n
Tornado warnings are in effect in other states, including Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Indiana, and Kentucky, where pictures showed entire homes leveled and tractor-trailers fallen.<\/p>\n
Devastating wildfires and dust storms have been ignited in warmer, drier parts of the south, while blizzard-like conditions are expected to affect colder northern regions through the weekend.<\/p>\n
On Saturday morning, the National Weather Service (NWS) said it was forecasting \u201cnumerous significant tornadoes, some of which should be long-track and potentially violent,\u201d that will be \u201cexpected this afternoon and evening.\u201d <\/p>\n
The NWS stated that the western portions of the Florida Panhandle, Georgia, Alabama, and eastern Louisiana and Mississippi were the areas most at risk from tornadoes.<\/p>\n
Sgt. Cindy Barkley of the Texas Department of Public Safety described the destruction caused by dust storms as \u201cthe worst I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Barkley, Amarillo County in the Texas Panhandle experienced a dust storm on Friday that resulted in three fatal car wrecks, with one pileup involving an estimated 38 vehicles.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe couldn\u2019t tell that they were all together until the dust kind of settled,\u201d Barkley said, describing the near-zero visibility conditions.<\/p>\n
Authorities in Oklahoma stated that gusts were so powerful that they toppled multiple tractor-trailers, resulting in evacuations due to more than 130 fires.<\/p>\n
The inclement weather was \u201cterrible,\u201d said to Charles Daniel, a truck driver in western Oklahoma who was transporting a 48-foot trailer down Interstate 40, who spoke to the Associated Press.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of sand and dirt in the air. I\u2019m not pushing it over 55 mph. I\u2019m scared it will blow over if I do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
With a high likelihood of tornadoes and destructive winds on Saturday in Mississippi and Alabama, forecasters warned that the threat of severe storms will persist into the weekend. Some areas of the East Coast may see flash floods on Sunday due to heavy rainfall.<\/p>\n
Although severe weather in March is not uncommon, Bill Bunting of the National Weather Service\u2019s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, told AP that \u201cwhat is unique about this one is its large size and intensity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd so what that is doing is producing really substantial impacts over a very large area,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
As flames broke out across the country, Oklahoma Governor Stitt said on Saturday that the fires had burned 293 homes in the state.<\/p>\n
At least five tornadoes struck Missouri on Friday, according to the NWS, with one in St. Louis causing multiple building damage.<\/p>\n
Fast-moving storms could produce twisters and baseball-sized hail, but straight-line winds close to or above hurricane force, with gusts of up to 100 mph, pose the biggest concern, according to the Storm Prediction Center.<\/p>\n
Authorities issued a warning on Saturday that \u2018possibly powerful\u2019 tornadoes could strike the Deep South and the central Gulf Coast, extending into the Tennessee Valley.<\/p>\n
Additionally, portions of Alabama, including Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, and Mississippi, including Jackson and Hattiesburg, may be at high danger throughout the weekend.<\/p>\n
Additionally, the western Florida Panhandle, central Tennessee, western Georgia, and eastern Louisiana were at risk for severe storms and tornadoes.<\/p>\n
As tornadoes and thunderstorms ravaged much of the Midwest, wildfires burned over the Southern Plains, threatening to spread quickly due to strong winds and warm, dry conditions.<\/p>\n
In response to the wildfire threat, residents in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and New Mexico were ordered to evacuate on Friday.<\/p>\n
One fire in Roberts County, Texas, swiftly expanded from less than a square mile to more than 32 square miles on Friday afternoon, according to officials.<\/p>\n
According to the website poweroutage.us, high winds also caused over 300,000 households and businesses across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana to lose power.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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