The threat of tornadoes in parts of the U.S. proved deadly as whipping winds moved east into the Mississippi Valley and Deep South on Saturday, causing at least 31 fatalities in six states, injuries and widespread damage.

On Saturday evening, three people were reported dead, along with multiple injuries in Tylertown, Mississippi, as multiple tornadoes swept through the state, Tylertown Police Chief Jordan Hill said. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said on social media Saturday that tornadoes had been reported in six counties overnight
Extreme weather conditions — including hurricane-force winds — are forecast to affect an area home to more than 100 million people. Winds gusting up to 80 mph 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. The most serious tornado threats were to eastern Louisiana and Mississippi, Alabama, and the western parts of the Florida Panhandle and Georgia, the NWS said.

At least 12 fatalities have been reported in Missouri, according to the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency. The deaths came as a massive storm system moving across the country unleashed winds that damaged buildings, whipped up deadly dust storms and fanned more than 100 wildfires.
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe said that first responders, volunteers and faith-based partners “worked tirelessly” through the night “in response to a series of devastating tornadoes and severe storms, and before that, dangerous and damaging fires.”

In Oklahoma, the governor said one person died on the road, presumably due to smoke.
In Oklahoma, the governor said one person died on the road, presumably due to smoke.

In Arkansas, officials reported three fatalities in Independence County, and 29 people were reported injured in eight counties in connection to a storm system that moved through the state overnight. Staff from the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management (ADEM) have been called to the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) due to extensive storm damage across the state.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Saturday that she spoke with President Trump after Friday night’s tornados in the state.

“[Trump] said to tell the people of Arkansas he loves them and he and his administration are here to help with whatever we need following last night’s tornadoes,” she said in a post on X.

In Kansas, at least eight people died and numerous injuries were reported Friday after more than 55 vehicles were involved in a crash due to a dust storm.
“It’s the worst I’ve ever seen,” said Sgt. Cindy Barkley of the state’s department of public safety, calling the near-zero visibility a nightmare. “We couldn’t tell that they were all together until the dust kind of settled.”

Evacuations were ordered in some Oklahoma communities as more than 130 fires were reported across the state. The State Patrol said winds were so strong that they toppled several tractor-trailers.

“This is terrible out here,” said Charles Daniel, a truck driver hauling a 48-foot trailer along Interstate 40 in western Oklahoma. “There’s a lot of sand and dirt in the air. I’m not pushing it over 55 mph. I’m scared it will blow over if I do.”
Forecasters said the severe storm threat would continue into the weekend with a high chance of tornadoes and damaging winds Saturday in Mississippi and Alabama. Heavy rain could bring flash flooding to some parts of the East Coast on Sunday.

Experts say it’s not unusual to see such weather extremes in March.

“What’s unique about this one is its large size and intensity,” said Bill Bunting of the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. “And so what that is doing is producing really substantial impacts over a very large area.”
The threat of tornadoes moved east into the Mississippi Valley and Deep South on Saturday, a day after a massive storm system moving across the country killed at least six, unleashed winds that damaged buildings, whipped up dust storms that caused deadly crashes and fanned more than 100 wildfires in several central states.