The outbreak of tornadoes raked through towns under the cover of darkness — the most dangerous and deadly time for a tornado outbreak.
The magnitude of the damage was unclear in the early-morning hours Saturday as forecasters at the National Weather Service furiously issued tornado warnings and the radar lit up with severe thunderstorms from Wisconsin to Mississippi.
It’s part of a major, cross-country low-pressure system that has killed at least 13 people so far and pounded the central US with hurricane-force gusts, creating a blinding dust storm and fanning wildfire flames.
As meteorologists from the weather service assess the damage on Saturday, the storm will gather new strength and aim the Southeast, with the highest possible risk of deadly tornadoes and severe thunderstorms on Saturday night.
Here are the latest updates:
• Missouri deaths: In Missouri, the tornado outbreak late Friday left at least 10 dead and several injured. Six deaths were reported at several campgrounds in Wayne County, according to Wayne County Emergency Manager Waylon Freeze. Missouri Highway Patrol reported one fatality in Jefferson County. Two fatalities were reported in the Bakersfield area of Ozark County, where emergency crews are working to assess damage and assist those affected, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. In Butler County, a tornado struck Poplar Bluff, killing one person and injuring several others, Butler County Emergency Management Director Robbie Myers told CNN. The tornado caused significant damage to a supermarket, a kindergarten, and other structures, according to Myers. Emergency crews are clearing debris, and the Black River Coliseum has been opened as a shelter for displaced residents, according to the county’s EMA. The Red Cross announced plans to assist with relief efforts on Saturday.
• Texas deaths: At least three people died Friday in vehicle collisions in Texas when heavy winds generated severe dust storms and reduced visibility, according to local authorities. Two of those fatalities were reported in separate collisions in Parmer County, in the southwestern Texas Panhandle, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Cindy Barkley told CNN Friday evening. Another driver died in a crash on Interstate 40 in Gray County, she said.
Exceptional tornado threat Saturday: Forecasters are warning the tornado threat will escalate after Friday’s outbreak spawned at least 22 reported tornadoes across the central US and South. Violent EF4 or stronger tornadoes capable of traveling long distances are possible across the Deep South.
• More than 130 fires in Oklahoma: Fast-spreading fires started popping up in Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle Friday afternoon, fueled by strong winds amid bone-dry conditions. Evacuation orders were still in effect in parts of Oklahoma as of Friday night, as the state battled more than 130 wildfires across 44 counties, according to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.
A fast-moving fire in the western portion of Stillwater, Oklahoma, also spurred evacuations, the city said. Evacuations were temporarily required in Lake Tanglewood, Texas, just outside of Amarillo, according to the Randall County Sheriff’s Office. In the Texas Panhandle, a fire in Roberts County has burned through an estimated 23,000 acres and is only 50% contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
What to expect Saturday
Another round of severe thunderstorms will fire up on Saturday morning and ignite what will likely be an even more dangerous tornado outbreak than Friday’s.
“Numerous significant tornadoes” are expected Saturday into Sunday morning across the Deep South, according to the Storm Prediction Center, which issued a rare level 5 of 5 high risk for severe thunderstorms for the day in Alabama and Mississippi.
This is the first high risk issued for severe thunderstorms since last May and only the fifth in the past five years, signaling unusual confidence that Saturday could be a devastating day.
It’s also because the number of tornadoes isn’t the only concern. Those that form could be unusually strong and long-lasting, increasing the risk for destruction and deaths.
Forecasters warned Saturday’s tornadoes could be violent, or EF4 or stronger. Only 1% of all tornadoes get this strong, but they account for an outsized 66% of all tornado deaths, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
Dangerous storms will begin to fire up earlier Saturday than they did Friday, beginning in eastern Louisiana and Mississippi during late morning and then progressing east throughout the day across the Deep South. They will become more widespread and dangerous by the afternoon as they track through Mississippi and Alabama.
The storms will also be capable of destructive hurricane-force wind gusts greater than 74 mph, equivalent to a Category 1 hurricane, and large hail.
The storms will continue into the late evening and overnight and impact places such as Atlanta after dark. Nighttime tornadoes are nearly twice as likely to be deadly as those occurring during the day, a 2022 study found, as Friday’s tornado outbreak proved.
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