Threat of tornadoes moves to US South after big storm unleashes winds
and fans wildfires
[March 15, 2025]
By SEAN MURPHY, RUSS BYNUM and HALLIE GOLDEN
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The threat of tornadoes moved east into the
Mississippi Valley and Deep South on Saturday, a day after a massive
storm system moving across the country unleashed winds that damaged
buildings, whipped up dust storms that caused deadly crashes and fanned
more than 100 wildfires in several central states.
Multiple tornadoes were reported in Missouri on Friday, just some of the
extreme weather that was forecast to affect an area home to more than
100 million people. Winds gusting up to 80 mph (130 kph) were predicted
from the Canadian border to Texas, threatening blizzard conditions in
colder northern areas and wildfire risk in warmer, drier areas to the
south.
The National Weather Service issued multiple tornado and severe
thunderstorm warnings early Saturday morning for areas in Alabama,
Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana and Texas.
Three people were killed Friday in car crashes during a dust storm in
Amarillo County in the Texas Panhandle, according to Sgt. Cindy Barkley
of the state’s department of public safety. One pileup involved an
estimated 38 cars.
“It’s the worst I’ve ever seen,” Barkley said, calling the near-zero
visibility a nightmare. “We couldn’t tell that they were all together
until the dust kind of settled.”
Evacuations were ordered in some Oklahoma communities as more than 130
fires were reported across the state. The State Patrol said winds were
so strong that they toppled several tractor-trailers.
“This is terrible out here,” said Charles Daniel, a truck driver hauling
a 48-foot (14.6-meter) trailer along Interstate 40 in western Oklahoma.
“There’s a lot of sand and dirt in the air. I’m not pushing it over 55
mph. I’m scared it will blow over if I do.”
Forecasters said the severe storm threat would continue into the weekend
with a high chance of tornadoes and damaging winds Saturday in
Mississippi and Alabama. Heavy rain could bring flash flooding to some
parts of the East Coast on Sunday.
Experts say it's not unusual to see such weather extremes in March.
“What’s unique about this one is its large size and intensity,” said
Bill Bunting of the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center
in Norman, Oklahoma. “And so what that is doing is producing really
substantial impacts over a very large area.”
Tornadoes hit amid storm outbreak
The weather service said at least five tornadoes were reported in
Missouri on Friday, including one in the Saint Louis area. Several
buildings were damaged in the storm, including a strip mall in Rolla,
Missouri, where a tornado was reported Friday afternoon.
The Storm Prediction Center said fast-moving storms could spawn twisters
and hail as large as baseballs, but the greatest threat would come from
straight-line winds near or exceeding hurricane force, with gusts of 100
mph (160 kph) possible.
“Potentially violent” tornadoes were expected Saturday in parts of the
central Gulf Coast and Deep South into the Tennessee Valley, according
to the National Weather Service.
The Storm Prediction Center said parts of Mississippi including Jackson
and Hattiesburg and areas of Alabama including Birmingham and Tuscaloosa
would be at a high risk. Severe storms and tornadoes were also possible
across eastern Louisiana, western Georgia, central Tennessee and the
western Florida Panhandle.
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Crews work to remove a large pine tree from Glencannon Drive after
severe weather hit in Pico Rivera, Calif., Thursday, March 13, 2025.
(David Crane/The Orange County Register via AP)
Wildfires break out amid dry, gusty conditions
Wildfires in the Southern Plains threatened to spread rapidly amid
warm, dry weather and strong winds, and evacuations were ordered
Friday for some communities in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and
New Mexico.
A blaze in Roberts County, Texas, northeast of Amarillo, quickly
blew up from less than a square mile (about 2 square kilometers) to
an estimated 32.8 square miles (85 square kilometers), the Texas A&M
University Forest Service said on X. Crews stopped its advance by
Friday evening.
About 60 miles (90 kilometers) to the south, another fire grew to
about 3.9 square miles (10 square kilometers) before its advance was
halted in the afternoon.
The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management activated its
emergency operations center due to several fast-moving fires that
prompted evacuations of the town of Leedey in the western part of
the state and in a rural area east of Norman.
Firefighters had been prepositioned in certain areas, which helps
authorities jump on blazes early, said Andy James, Oklahoma Forestry
Services fire management chief. Firefighting aircraft were also
deployed in some parts of Oklahoma and Texas but were generally
unable to fly due to low visibility from smoke and dust, he added.
Friday evening, the National Weather Service said a “complex of
extremely dangerous fires” was located northeast of Oklahoma City,
near Stillwater, and urged some people in the city of about 50,000
to evacuate. Officials issued mandatory evacuation orders via social
media that included homes, hotels and a Walmart.
Officials urged people in some areas of central Missouri’s Camden
County to evacuate due to wildfires, and the State Highway Patrol
warned via social media that they were nearing homes and businesses.
Roughly 120 miles (190 kilometers) of Interstate 70 in western
Kansas were temporarily shut down due to blowing dust and limited
visibility.
High winds also knocked out power to more than 216,000 homes and
businesses in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri, according the
website poweroutage.us.
Blizzard warnings in Northern Plains
The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of
far western Minnesota and far eastern South Dakota starting early
Saturday. Snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches (7.6 to 15.2
centimeters) were expected, with up to a foot (30 centimeters)
possible.
Winds gusting to 60 mph (97 kph) were expected to cause whiteout
conditions.
___
Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia, and Golden from Seattle.
Associated Press journalists from across the U.S. contributed.
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