Key takeaways:
33 fatalities have been reported across six states as a result of severe thunderstorms.
52 tornadoes have been reported from severe thunderstorm activity between Friday and Saturday (subject to increase after storm surveys are completed).
Multiple wildfires sparked up across Oklahoma as powerful winds fanned flames.
An expansive dust storm across West and central Texas, Oklahoma and portions of Kansas dropped visibility under a mile in some cases on Friday. This dust then spread into the Midwest Saturday, creating hazy skies and poor air quality.
Nearly 1,100 flights canceled across the nation between Friday and Saturday.
A widespread storm system has claimed at least 33 lives across six states as of early Sunday morning, with additional fatalities emerging in Mississippi. Sunday is the third day in a row that severe storms packing destructive winds, large hail, tornadoes and flooding downpours target over 20 states and 150 million people.
Storm-related deaths confirmed in each state:
Missouri: 12
Kansas: 8
Arkansas: 3
Mississippi: 6
Texas: 3
Oklahoma: 1
At least six new deaths and 29 injuries are being reported in Mississippi as a new round of severe weather ripped through the United States Saturday night into Sunday.
According to the Tylertown Police Department in Mississippi, a tornado tore through Saturday evening, causing extensive damage and killing three people, WDSU reported. Two people were killed in the same home in Jefferson Davis County and another death was reported in Covington County, Gov. Tate Reeves said.
“Please pray for those who lost their life, those who are missing and those leading the search efforts, those who are healing, and their families,” Missouri Gov. Tate Reeves
Three additional people are currently missing, according to the governor. Two from Covington County and one from Walthall County. The governor declared a state of emergency Saturday evening.
Significant damage was reported late Saturday night in Calera, Alabama. The pastor of Calera Baptist Church said the sanctuary was heavily damaged, including the roof torn off the building, but, thankfully, no one was hurt. After the storm passed, the city posted a statement on Facebook saying, "We are happy to report that as of now, no one was injured from the storm that came through earlier this evening."
These latest deaths in Mississippi on Saturday bring the total number of people killed in the severe weather outbreak stretching from Friday into Sunday to 33.
At least 15 people in Missouri and Arkansas were killed and many more were injured after severe storms, including multiple tornadoes, swept through the central United States late Friday night into Saturday, and at least three people were killed Friday afternoon after extreme winds, monster dust storms and wildfires tore across Texas and Oklahoma.
The deadly storms ripped apart houses and businesses and entire neighborhoods are unrecognizable. Parts of Missouri and Mississippi experienced some of the worst of the extreme weather.
New wave of tornadoes tears across South on Saturday
Tornadoes and damaging thunderstorms pummeled the Tennessee Valley and Gulf Coast states on Saturday afternoon as the severe weather threat shifted eastward, damaging homes and snapping trees.
A pair of tornado-warned storms moved in tandem across southern Mississippi during the afternoon, with a "confirmed, large and extremely dangerous tornado" barreling into Taylorsville shortly after 2 p.m. CDT. Less than an hour later, residents in the town rushed to shelter again as the second storm tracked over the same area.
After suffering heavy damage, Taylorsville will be under a curfew that began at 8 p.m. Saturday and will run through 8 a.m. Sunday, Taylorsville Police Department Chief Gabe Horn said.
To add to the chaos, a magnitude 3.0 earthquake rattled central Mississippi at the same time the first tornado plowed into Taylorsville.
'I actually could hear the audible roar as it passed by'
Storm Chaser Aaron Jayjack reported live from eastern Mississippi after a rain-wrapped tornado caused damage near the town of Pachuta. Jayjack explained how he saw the twister pass right in front of him.
"I got in position for that storm...Right before it got to me, that debris ball appeared again. But the storm was really wrapped in rain and I got as close as I could safely get to the storm," Jayjack told AccuWeather on-air meteorologist Geoff Cornish. "I actually could hear the audible roar as it passed by, saw some tree limbs down. I made my out of where those limbs were down and eventually I saw a vehicle had actually hydroplaned down the road."
Jayjack said conditions in parts of the state are very dangerous. "Not just because of the tornadoes, but heavy rain, we have flash flood warnings here...You're driving around, you hit those big puddles of water, you can hydroplane and end up in a ditch."
More than 500 reports of severe weather, including strong winds, hail and tornadoes, have been tallied across the Plains, Gulf Coast and Midwest since the first storms erupted on Friday.
Death toll rises from storms, tornadoes on Friday night
Twelve of the 15 deaths from Friday's severe weather outbreak happened in Missouri, with six reported at several campgrounds in Wayne County, according to CNN.
Another fatality was confirmed by Missouri State Highway Patrol in Jefferson County and the deaths of three people were also reported in the Bakersfield area of Ozark County.
A man died in Butler County when a tornado struck a mobile home park near Poplar Bluff, located about 100 miles east of Bakersfield, WSILTV reported. Coroner Jim Akers described the “unrecognizable home” as “just a debris field.”
“The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls," he said, according to the AP.
Authorities there also reported that buildings in the city were significantly damaged, including a supermarket and a kindergarten facility.
Dakota Henderson told CNN that he and others rescuing trapped neighbors found five bodies scattered in the debris Friday night outside what was left of his aunt’s house in Wayne County, Missouri.
“It was a very rough deal last night,” Henderson said “It’s really disturbing for what happened to the people, the casualties last night.”
On Saturday, officials from St. Louis County confirmed the sudden death of a woman found dead in her yard overnight to be a storm-related death due to “possible electrocution.”
“We are deeply saddened to confirm this death due to Friday’s severe weather,” said County Executive Sam Page via a news release. “This heartbreaking tragedy underscores that downed power lines are extremely dangerous, and they are not always visible.”
Three people were also killed Friday in Independence County, Arkansas, and dozens more were injured due to severe weather in the northern part of the state. Crashes were reported near Rolla, Missouri.
"For your safety, please avoid the area and allow first responders to do their job. I-44 and MO 72 are impacted, with debris causing closures. Power lines are down—DO NOT drive over them," Corporal Raclicia Tyler with Missouri State Highway Patrol said in a release.
"In the aftermath of the storms across Missouri, we’re on duty all night," Missouri Highway Patrol posted on Facebook. "Rescue Efforts – We’re currently trying to locate and assist those in need. Call 911 or *55 for help. Keep Safe – Avoid downed power lines, pay attention to road closures and check on your neighbors. Theft Prevention – Unfortunately, storms can attract looters. We are in affected areas to prevent theft and protect property. Report any suspicious activity immediately."
Authorities in the hard-hit town of Elliott, Mississippi, spent the night searching for survivors after massive nocturnal tornadoes tore through the state, leaving an unfathomable amount of destruction behind.
"It lasted about 10 minutes. We heard it coming. Sounded like a freight train," an Elliott resident said. "All of the sudden we heard something. That tree. Boom!"
Rescuers with flashlights were going from the rubble of one house to the next, rescuing people trapped in heavy debris.
Multiple tornadoes also struck northeastern Arkansas between 9:00 p.m. and midnight, with at least 10 radar-detected tornadoes touching down in counties across the state.
Nocturnal tornadoes are particularly dangerous as people can't see them coming and don't know to take shelter.
'It looks like a bomb went off; it actually does'
Catastrophic storm damage has also been left behind in Cushman and Cave City in Arkansas. Located about 130 miles northwest of Memphis, Tennessee, the towns are so damaged some neighborhoods are unrecognizable. On Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service (NWS) in Little Rock, Arkansas, said that they had found damage "at the top of the EF3" range of the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
"There's all kinds of devastation. The power lines are down. There's trees down, it's just, it's horrible," Cave City resident David Kunkel told Storm chaser Brandon Clement.
In some cases, the destruction is so bad it's difficult to tell what building you're looking at in video footage.
"Everything is just total destruction. There's several homes just completely leveled. Our auto parts store is completely leveled...it looks like a bomb went off; it actually does," one Cave City resident said early Saturday morning. "All the houses have the roofs ripped off them, a lot of houses have caved in."
Power outages in Missouri improved by Sunday morning with 60,000 customers without power in the state, according to Poweroutage.Us.
Further south, around 21,000 customers were without power in Tennessee, with Mississippi reporting 10,000 customers without power and 25,000 in Alabama. As the storm moves east, Georgia reported 47,000 outages and North Carolina had 42,000.
Storm survey teams will continue to assess damage, debris and radar data to determine the exact number, paths and strength of tornadoes. It will take several days for the damage surveys to be conducted.
The widespread severe weather outbreak will impact more than two dozen states as it progresses eastward Sunday. AccuWeather meteorologists anticipate hundreds of additional severe weather reports involving downed trees and power lines, along with the potential for multiple powerful tornadoes. Some of these tornadoes could be long-lived, posing an even greater danger.
There will also be the risk of more power outages and major travel disruptions. Property owners and road crews should be prepared for downed trees and flash flooding. The severe weather threat, including multiple strong tornadoes, will extend well beyond the daylight hours, tremendously adding to the danger.