US hit by extreme weather: Deaths, destruction reported

Shafaq News/ A massive storm system swept across the central and southern United States over the weekend, unleashing tornadoes, wildfires and severe winds that caused widespread damage and chaos, American media outlets reported.

On Friday, multiple tornadoes were reported in Missouri, including one that damaged a strip mall in Rolla. The National Weather Service (NWS) warned that the storm system posed a high risk of violent tornadoes and straight-line winds of up to 100 mph (160 kph) across the Mississippi Valley and Deep South, with parts of Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee at greatest risk.

The severe weather continued into Saturday, with tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings issued for Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, and Texas.

In the Texas Panhandle, a dust storm with near-zero visibility led to a series of deadly crashes in Amarillo County, killing three people. One pileup involved 38 vehicles, according to Sgt. Cindy Barkley of the Texas Department of Public Safety. “It’s the worst I’ve ever seen,” Barkley told media outlets. “We couldn’t tell that they were all together until the dust kind of settled.”

Meanwhile, high winds and dry conditions sparked more than 130 wildfires in Oklahoma alone, prompting evacuations and damaging property. Blazes were also reported in Texas, Kansas, Missouri, and New Mexico. In Roberts County, Texas, a fire rapidly expanded to cover 32.8 square miles (85 square kilometers) before crews managed to contain it.

In Oklahoma, firefighting efforts were hampered by low visibility from dust and smoke, preventing the use of firefighting aircraft. The state activated its emergency operations center as fires threatened communities and forced evacuations in Leedey and other areas.

As the storm system moved north, blizzard warnings were issued for parts of Minnesota and South Dakota, where snow accumulations of up to a foot (30 centimeters) and wind gusts of 60 mph (97 kph) created whiteout conditions.

High winds knocked out power to more than 216,000 homes and businesses across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri, according to poweroutage.us. Interstate 70 in western Kansas was temporarily closed due to blowing dust and limited visibility.

Meteorologists say such extreme weather in March is not uncommon, but the size and intensity of this system are unusual. “What’s unique about this one is its large size and intensity,” said Bill Bunting of the NWS Storm Prediction Center.

As the storm system moves east, the threat of heavy rain and flash flooding is expected to impact parts of the East Coast on Sunday.