Live updates on the tornado outbreak reveal that 36 people have died due to a powerful storm system moving across the country. On Sunday, a tornado watch was announced for regions in West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Millions of Americans are on high alert as severe weather, including long-lasting tornadoes, strong winds reaching 80 mph, and large hail, is anticipated in the Midwest and South as the storm progresses eastward.
Previously, this storm system caused destructive winds in the Plains, sparking wildfires and severe dust storms that resulted in over a dozen fatalities in Kansas, Texas, and Oklahoma. In total, at least 36 deaths have been attributed to this storm system.
The tornado watch is active until at least 4 p.m. ET, with potential funnel cloud development in Charleston, West Virginia, and Pittsburgh and Erie, Pennsylvania, as per the National Weather Service (NWS). Tornado watches extend from Florida to western Pennsylvania. The NWS warns of possible tornadoes and multiple thunderstorm lines and clusters moving through the watch area this afternoon. Winds could reach up to 70 mph, and slow-moving storms may cause flash flooding.
Officials reported 36 fatalities across seven states, with Missouri experiencing the highest toll of 12 deaths. Alabama's Governor Kay Ivey confirmed two deaths in her state on Saturday, with widespread damage reported in 52 of Alabama's 67 counties. Kansas reported eight deaths, Mississippi six, Texas four, Arkansas three, and Oklahoma one.
Power outages affected at least 289,054 customers from Michigan to Georgia on Sunday morning. Southern states bore the brunt, with over 235,000 outages. North Carolina and Georgia each had over 54,000 and 55,500 customers without power, respectively. Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi also experienced significant outages, as did Missouri and Ohio.
A tornado watch was also issued for southeast Georgia and the Carolinas, with the potential for damaging winds up to 70 mph and a few tornadoes from Savannah, Georgia, to Wilmington, North Carolina. The NWS highlighted a broken line of thunderstorms moving east into these areas, posing a risk for wind damage and isolated tornadoes.