Multiple people have died amid an outbreak of severe weather across the South that forecasters warn could include “violent” tornadoes, high winds, thunderstorms and flash flooding on Saturday.
Two people died and others were injured in a suspected tornado that touched down in the Bakersfield area of southern Missouri, the state’s highway patrol said early Saturday morning. Photos posted to social media show damage to buildings and a vehicle. Elsewhere in the state, officials said trees and power lines were down and structures were damaged.
In the Texas Panhandle on Friday, a dust storm caused car crashes that killed three people, NBC News and the Associated Press reported. One vehicle wreck included a pileup of 38 cars there.
‘Very scary situation’: Forecasters warn of Saturday tornado outbreak
The National Weather Service issued tornado watches for about 2 million people on Saturday. An “outbreak” of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms is expected through Saturday night in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, western Georgia, southern Tennessee, the Florida Panhandle and southern Arkansas.
Forecasters in Birmingham said when they look at the potential for tornadoes, they consider factors such as instability, wind shear, how high the base of a cloud will be and others.
“Every single parameter is there Saturday afternoon. Every single one,” the weather service there said. “This will be a very scary situation for many… Please take this seriously and please do what you can. Please be safe.”
Where did tornadoes hit last night?
There were 23 preliminary reports of tornadoes by 7 a.m. in Missouri, northeastern Arkansas and southern Illinois, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Mike Youman.
Officials in Missouri said early Saturday that a tornado is suspected to have crossed through Bakersfield, which lies at the border with Arkansas.
The weather service in St. Louis said it has begun deploying damage survey teams to areas outside the city. “There is NO way we will be able to survey all the suspected tornado damage today so please be patient.”
