In Piedmont, Missouri, residents faced the aftermath of severe weather conditions on Sunday, which included devastating tornadoes, intense winds, and overwhelming dust storms that left at least 35 people dead across the affected regions in the U.S. The National Weather Service indicated that tornado watches were still in place for parts of the Carolinas, eastern Georgia, and northern Florida as of Sunday morning. Meteorologist Cody Snell warned that while damaging winds posed the primary threat, additional tornadoes might still occur.
According to Snell, the severe weather could persist throughout the day, spanning from the upper Ohio Valley to western Pennsylvania, and down through the rest of the mid-Atlantic and Southeast. This ongoing cold front will continue its movement across the country and won’t clear the East Coast until later Sunday night. The storm system was remarkable enough to earn a rare “high risk” classification from forecasters, though these types of extreme weather events aren’t unprecedented for March.
In Alabama, the death toll rose to three following a series of tornadoes. One of the fatalities included an 82-year-old woman whose mobile home was destroyed, as confirmed by Dallas County Sheriff Michael L. Granthum. No injuries were reported at a recreation center in Troy, which sheltered over 200 people during the storms but sustained significant damage. The local parks department expressed gratitude for the protection of those housed at the storm shelter despite the extensive damage to the building.
In Missouri, residents were dealing with the aftermath of multiple tornadoes that resulted in at least 12 deaths. Dakota Henderson recounted discovering the bodies of five neighbors scattered among the debris following the storms in Wayne County, and noted the harrowing experience of rescuing his aunt from what remained of her home. The devastation was widespread, and authorities continued to assess the substantial damage.
Elsewhere, Butler County’s Coroner Jim Akers described the utter destruction left in the wake of the storms, referring to one demolished home as nothing more than a “debris field.” Meanwhile, Mississippi’s Governor Tate Reeves confirmed six fatalities across three counties, with three individuals still unaccounted for. Eyewitnesses such as Bailey Dillon and her fiancé observed the destruction firsthand as a massive tornado passed near Tylertown.
Arkansas also reported three deaths, contributing to the grim toll of the weekend’s severe weather. Furthermore, the high winds that accompanied the storm system led to deadly dust storms that claimed additional lives in Kansas and Texas. In Kansas, a highway pileup involving at least 50 vehicles resulted in eight deaths, while three people died in car accidents caused by a dust storm in Amarillo, Texas.
In Oklahoma, where fires wreaked havoc, more than 130 fires were reported, affecting nearly 300 homes. Dramatic footage of these weather events rapidly spread across social media platforms. One such video, captured by Tad and Richard Peters in Rolla, Missouri, showed a tornado barreling towards them, forcing the pair to abandon their trip to Indiana and return home to Oklahoma, where they encountered wildfires.
