At least 42 people have died following a weekend of severe storms and tornadoes that swept across the Midwest and South, leaving widespread destruction and power outages. The storms, which occurred from Friday, March 14, to Sunday, March 16, 2025, spanned multiple states and brought damaging winds, tornadoes, heavy rainfall, and wildfires, with impacts extending into the Northeast.
Fatalities and Impacted Areas
Casualties were reported in several states, including:
- Missouri: 12 fatalities
- Kansas: 8 fatalities
- Mississippi: 6 fatalities
- Texas: 4 fatalities
- Oklahoma: 4 fatalities
- Alabama: 3 fatalities
- Arkansas: 3 fatalities
- North Carolina: 2 fatalities
In North Carolina, two children lost their lives in Transylvania County when a tree fell on their family’s trailer during the storm. Three other family members survived.
Tornado Outbreak and Structural Damage
The storm system generated a significant tornado outbreak across seven states, including Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. Reports indicate that tornadoes uprooted trees, destroyed homes and businesses, and caused widespread power outages.
- Arkansas: A confirmed EF-4 tornado with 190-mph winds struck Jackson County.
- Alabama: An EF-2 tornado lifted a school bus onto the roof of Winterboro High School in Talladega County.
- Mississippi: The National Weather Service confirmed at least eight tornadoes over the weekend, with assessments ongoing.
- Georgia: A reported EF-1 tornado touched down in Paulding County with winds reaching 110 mph.
One of the hardest-hit families, the Mims family in Alabama, survived an EF-3 tornado by seeking shelter underground after their mobile home was displaced by the storm.
Power Outages and Continuing Risks
As of Monday morning, over 120,000 customers were without power across several states:
- Pennsylvania: 56,000 outages
- Missouri: 25,000 outages
- New York: 23,000 outages
- West Virginia: 8,000 outages
- North Carolina: 7,800 outages
Additional Weather Threats
Beyond tornadoes and severe storms, the system contributed to wildfires in Texas and Oklahoma, which resulted in at least four fatalities. A dust storm in Kansas caused a highway pile-up that claimed eight lives.
While the storm system weakened as it moved east, it continued to bring rain to the Northeast. Heavy rainfall in northern New York and northern New England raised concerns about flooding due to snowmelt.
Winter storm watches remained in effect for 8 million people in the western United States. The Sierra Nevada was expected to receive heavy snowfall with wind gusts reaching 60 mph. Snowfall was also forecasted for the Plains and Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Meanwhile, dry conditions in the central U.S. have created critical fire risks. Over 42 million people were under fire weather alerts across the Great Plains and Florida Peninsula as of Monday.