Massive storm system kills 28 in central U.S. as tornado risk continues
Baku, March 16, AZERTAC
Local authorities say at least 28 people have been killed in weather-related mayhem that has raked the central United States, demolishing homes, fanning wildfires and wrecking motorists’ vehicles, according to Washington Post.
In Missouri, at least 12 deaths were reported Saturday afternoon after more than a dozen tornadoes ripped across the state, according to the governor. Arkansas authorities reported three deaths and 29 injuries after a storm moved through their state.
Eight people were killed in Kansas after the weather front brought high winds and a dust storm Friday afternoon, lowering visibility and causing a pileup involving dozens of vehicles, the state’s highway patrol said in a news release Saturday afternoon. One person died in a car crash after driving in wildfire smoke conditions in Oklahoma, according to the governor. And in the Texas panhandle, four people died in car crashes caused by strong winds and dust storms, according to state officials.
“We’ve had significant wind storms in the past, but nothing of this” severity, said Sgt. Cindy Barkley of the Texas Department of Public Safety. “It was horrible.” She added that when she went to the crash scenes, there were times she could barely see past the hood of her car.
A tornado outbreak is expected to continue throughout Saturday night, with the highest risk across several states in the Deep South. A total of 49 tornadoes have been reported in the central and southern United States since early Friday, with several still active from eastern Mississippi to southern Tennessee. Jarring video out of Walthall County, Mississippi, showed how a tornado reduced homes to rubble and hewed large swaths of trees caught in its path.
A rare high risk (Level 5 out of 5) for severe thunderstorms that covered Mississippi and Alabama for much of Saturday transitioned to a moderate risk (Level 4 out of 5), covering Alabama, western Georgia and the Florida Panhandle into early Sunday. Fires also broke out across Oklahoma and Texas starting Friday, sparked by low humidity and powerful winds that have overturned tractor-trailers. Hundreds of blazes erupted across 170,000 acres in Oklahoma alone, and nearly 300 structures have been destroyed by the flames, Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) said.
A low-pressure storm system is moving across the Deep South. Ahead of it, warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico is moving north. That means instability — which translates to thunderstorm fuel — is present and able to support scattered to widespread severe thunderstorms.
A moderate risk (Level 4 out of 5) for severe thunderstorms and potential tornadoes covers 5.2 million people and includes Gulfport, Mississippi; Montgomery and Mobile, Alabama; and Columbus, Georgia.
Everyone in the risk area was advised to be at a structure with a belowground shelter by early Saturday afternoon. That meant evacuating mobile homes before any warnings were issued. Relocating ahead of time can prevent a dire last-minute scramble with dangerous consequences.
On Saturday night going into Sunday morning, the highest tornado risk will be in eastern Alabama, eastern Tennessee, western Georgia and the Florida Panhandle.
A few tornadoes are likely, and in Tennessee a couple of intense tornadoes are possible within a watch area stretching 50 miles north of Knoxville to 40 miles southeast of Chattanooga, according to the National Weather Service. Widespread damaging winds are likely, with isolated gusts reaching 75 mph, and scattered hail is possible.
Then, on Sunday, the risk for severe storms will shift into eastern Georgia, the Carolinas and the Mid-Atlantic, including Washington. While tornadoes aren’t expected to be as widespread as on Saturday, a few are possible.
From Saturday into Sunday, the environment will be particularly conducive to rotating updrafts, which can produce tornadoes as strong southwesterly winds aloft clash with southeasterly winds near the ground. Changing winds with height, known as wind shear, enhance rotation in a thunderstorm.
Weather models depict this rotation occurring in several southern and eastern states through the weekend, particularly in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee.
Two uncertainties remain in the forecast. The main one is that storms could merge and become messy, or they may remain as isolated, discrete supercells with high-end tornado potential. That remains to be seen, but the latter is more probable.
The other uncertainty hinges on something called the “cap.” A stout lid of warm air about a mile above the ground will “cap” the lower atmosphere, inhibiting surface air from rising — at least initially. If the cap is too strong, then there won’t be any rotating supercells ahead of the cold front.
That would cut back on risk. But if the cap is just strong enough, then it will allow only a couple of storms to form. Slightly fewer storms means stronger storms, since the storms won’t have to compete with one another.
In repeated messages, state and local officials urged residents to take the storms seriously.
“Prepare now,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) wrote on X.
Gov. Kay Ivey (R) issued a state of emergency across Alabama ahead of the storms. The declaration meant government offices would be closed, any public school events would be canceled and the Alabama National Guard was activated.
The Mississippi region of the American Red Cross urged residents to prepare emergency kits, secure outdoor items and identify safe shelters.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) said the state’s emergency operations center had been activated and will operate through the weekend.
