The last week has brought a series of storms to areas of the South, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic. A fresh wave of storms on Friday night and into Saturday ‘brought destruction to over a dozen states, and as rescue workers pick through the debris, they have now identified at least twenty-five deaths.several dozen more remain missing.
Those deaths occurred from Arkansas, where a powerful tornado tore a path across Little Rock, to the town of Greenwood in Delaware. Several tornadoes remained on the ground for an extended period , causing damage to a broad area. The outbreak of tornadoes left people dead in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The conditions that generated the storms are similar to those which caused an outbreak of tornadoes last week in Mississippi.
Those conditions are not over. The National Weather Service is predicting more rain will develop over Texas on Sunday, and some experts are calling for a high possibility of additional powerful storms in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. But right now, for communities across the eastern half of the nation, it’s time to search, tend those who were injured, and to mourn.
In the wake of the fast-moving storms, sections of the Plains and Midwest were blasted by high winds. Gusts reached 90 mph in the Denver area on Friday. The same storm brought gale-force winds to Missouri and Illinois on Saturday and continued to the east. Late on Saturday and into the early hours of Sunday, the winds battered the area around Washington D. C. and Baltimore before moving offshore
The climate crisis has resulted in a shift which has made tornadoes more deadly.
- Tornadoes are striking more regularly in areas where they were previously uncommon, with a shift east and south from the traditional “Tornado Alley.”
- Towns in the new region are less likely to have storm shelters and sirens.
- Tornadoes are striking more frequently late at night, when people are sleeping and unprepared.
- Tornadoes are occurring in storms that are carrying more moisture, meaning they are often hidden behind walls of rain.
When conditions for severe weather are present, stay alert. Don’t wait for a tornado warning before figuring out your next step. And no matter what the rules are in your house, a period of severe weather is a bad time to put away your phone. Keep it handy.