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Tornado outbreak live updates: 40 tornadoes, 34 dead in cross-country storm system

Nearly 300,000 are without power across eight states.

Last Updated: March 16, 2025, 10:02 AM EDT

Millions of Americans across the country are on alert for a severe weather outbreak as violent, long-track tornadoes with damaging winds of up to 80 mph and large hail are expected across the Midwest and South with the cross-country storm moving east.

The same storm system delivered raging winds to the Plains states earlier, leading to wildfires and severe dust storms that left more than a dozen people dead in Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma.

Overall, at least 34 deaths have been recorded from the cross-country storm system.

Mar 15, 2025, 1:02 PM EDT

18 dead after severe weather hits Missouri, Texas, Arkansas

At least 18 people are dead after severe weather hit parts of Missouri, Texas and Arkansas overnight, officials said.

Eleven storm-related fatalities were reported in the Missouri counties of Ozark, Butler, Wayne and Jefferson, the state highway patrol said. Three people were confirmed dead in Independence County, Arkansas, the state's emergency management division said. Four were reported dead in Texas, officials said Saturday.

Debris lies around damaged houses the morning after a tornado touched down in Florissant, Missouri, March 15, 2025.
Lawrence Bryant/Reuters

At least 29 people were injured in eight Arkansas counties, state emergency officials said.

Additionally, 238,792 customers are without power across five states -- Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Texas and Arkansas, according to Poweroutage.us.

Mar 15, 2025, 1:02 PM EDT

Millions of Americans on alert for severe weather, tornado watches

Millions of Americans across the country are on alert for severe weather with tornado watches in effect for eight states: Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio.

A new particularly dangerous situation tornado watch was issued Saturday across much of Mississippi, as well as portions of eastern Louisiana until 6 p.m. CT this evening. This includes cities such as Jackson, Tupelo, Meridian, Mississippi; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

"A tornado outbreak appears imminent with the potential for multiple, intense to violent long-track tornadoes from mid-day through this evening," according to the National Weather Service.

PHOTO: pds tornado watch graphic
ABC News

Another tornado watch remains in effect for portions southern Arkansas and northern Louisiana until 1 p.m. CT this afternoon. A line of severe storms is sweeping east across the region bringing the threat of strong tornadoes, damaging wind gusts, and large hail.

Any stronger, slow-moving storms bringing torrential rain could also trigger areas of dangerous flash flooding in the coming hours.

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