Seven killed after dozens of tornadoes hit US Midwest, South

IANS April 4, 2025 163 views

A series of destructive tornadoes tore through the US Midwest and South, leaving seven people dead and causing widespread devastation. The severe weather event impacted multiple states, knocking out electricity for over 210,000 households and businesses. Forecasters warned of continued dangerous conditions, including potential flash flooding across several states. The National Weather Service emphasized the rare and potentially catastrophic nature of this extreme weather system.

"This isn't routine. This is a rare, high-impact and potentially devastating event" - National Weather Service Memphis
Houston, April 4: At least seven people were killed and 13 others injured after dozens of tornadoes tearing through large swaths of the US Midwest and South since Wednesday night, local authorities confirmed.

Key Points

1

Tornadoes hit 7 states with life-threatening conditions

2

Over 210,000 households lost power

3

Flash flood warnings issued for millions

At least five fatalities were confirmed in Tennessee, one in Missouri, and one in Indiana, according to local media reports.

The worst impacts were felt in Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee, where residents described scenes of devastation as tornadoes ripped roofs off homes and hurled vehicles into the air, Xinhua news agency reported.

Four million people across seven states, from northeastern Texas to western Tennessee, faced what the Weather Prediction Center called a “prolonged, life-threatening flash flood event.” There were more than 30 tornadoes reported by Thursday evening, and in some communities, hail the size of baseballs.

As of 1:40 p.m. Central Time on Thursday, the tornado outbreak knocked out electricity for more than 210,000 households and businesses from Texas and Mississippi to Ohio and Indiana, according to powerOutage.us, the US power outage tracker.

Forecasters warned that severe weather including tornadoes and large hail is expected throughout large parts of central and southern United States on the weekend.

As the violent storms move eastwards, more than 3.6 million people are under life-threatening flash flood warnings in multiple Midwest and southern US states.

A rare high risk of flooding rainfall is in place on Thursday for portions of the Mississippi and Ohio valleys where round after round of storms will drop heavy rain through Saturday.

"This isn't routine. This is a rare, high-impact and potentially devastating event," the National Weather Service (NWS) in Memphis, Tennessee, warned Wednesday.

"Extensive, rare, and at times catastrophic, flash flooding is likely ... flash flood water levels may reach areas that rarely or have never flooded before," forecasters at the NWS in Little Rock, Arkansas, said on Thursday.

Comments:

SM
Sarah M.

My heart goes out to all the families affected by these storms. The images of devastation are heartbreaking. Stay safe everyone! ❤️

TJ
Thomas J.

I live in Arkansas and we got hit hard. Never seen anything like this in my 40 years here. Our community center is organizing relief efforts if anyone wants to help.

LK
Lisa K.

The article mentions baseball-sized hail - that's terrifying! I hope emergency services have all the resources they need to handle this crisis.

DR
David R.

While the reporting is thorough, I wish there was more focus on how people can prepare for these events. Not everyone has storm shelters or knows what to do when warnings come.

MP
Maria P.

Praying for all affected areas. The "rare, high-impact" warning from NWS really puts this in perspective. Climate change making these extreme weather events more common? 🤔

CB
Chris B.

210,000 without power is staggering. Hope utility crews can get things restored quickly, especially with more storms coming. Stay safe out there!

Tags:
Tornado Outbreak US Severe Weather Natural Disaster Tennessee Missouri Arkansas
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