At least 27 people were killed and dozens more injured Saturday when tornadoes and violent storms raked across the central United States, officials said.
Local news showed roofs torn off homes and large trucks overturned, as forecasters warned of more tornadoes to come this weekend.
Eight people died in Kansas in a crash involving more than 50 vehicles, caused by low visibility during a "severe dust storm," local police said.
Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed 12 storm-related fatalities and shared images of boats piled on top of one another at a marina destroyed by the weather.
The state police reported downed trees and power lines, as well as damage to buildings, with some areas severely impacted by "tornadoes, thunderstorms and large hail."
"It was the scariest thing I've ever been through, it was so fast, our ears were all about to burst," Alicia Wilson, who was evacuated from her home in Missouri, told TV station KSDK.
Six fatalities were reported in Missouri's Wayne County, three in Ozark County -- where multiple injuries were also reported -- and one each in Butler, Jefferson and St Louis counties, police said.
Further south in Texas, local authorities told AFP that four people had died in vehicle accidents linked to dust storms and fires that reduced visibility on the roads.
In the neighboring state of Arkansas, officials said three people had died and 29 had been injured in the storm.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency in response and said she had spoken with President Donald Trump.
"He said to tell the people of Arkansas he loves them and he and his administration are here to help with whatever we need following last night's tornadoes," Sanders wrote on X.
At least 200,000 homes and businesses across the central United States were without power by Saturday evening, according to tracking site poweroutage.us.
More tornadoes were forecast Saturday in the central Gulf Coast states including Mississippi and Tennessee.
"Numerous significant tornadoes, some of which may be long-track and potentially violent, should continue into this evening," the National Weather Service said.
Tornadoes are spinning columns of air that touch the ground from massive cumulonimbus thunderstorm clouds.
The central and southern American states of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas get the most violent ones due to unique geographical and meteorological conditions.
Dubbed "Tornado Alley," this is where winds of widely varying temperatures meet in volatile, potent storm clouds, with most storms occurring from May to June.
In 2024, 54 people died in tornado-related incidents in the United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
© 2025 AFP
19 Comments
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Cephus
"At least 27 dead as tornadoes ravage central U.S."
It's a shame even with the modern technology, early warning etc people as still dying. Be carefully mortals out there!!
iron man
No r.c. homes and r.c. foundations. The early warnings have been there for decades. But resilient homes not avoidable in the greatest nation on earth. Tornadoes are naturally destructive. nah more comment.
bass4funk
Absolutely terrible.
Harry_Gatto
Terrible thing to happen, unimaginable.
Yeah right of course he does. Mawkish claptrap.
GuruMick
Wonder why the need to drive anywhere when early warning given....50 car pile up in a dust storm...8 dead .
bass4funk
You think Australia or Europe will help us out and send us aid, something, money, anything?
grc
Trump’s condolences on Truth Social were quite moving
Nibek32
Too bad trump and musk fired the national weather service. These deaths could have been easily avoided if the government still had this agency to get the proper warnings out.
bass4funk
That’s just a lame excuse, that’s like saying, Apple letting go of their Temp staff is the cause of not being able to fill hundreds of orders. In the private sector and government sector from time to time cuts need to be made, because it didn’t happen for so long in the government, federal employees feel like they have the right to be there even when it’s costly to the Company.
GuruMick
Bass...Australia often sends firefighters for wild fires and US sends huge water carrying helicopters .
I don't think we can offer much with tornadoes though.
We don't have them.
But seriously sorry for the lives lost and destruction.
In 1979 I was in Fort Worth , Texas, when a "twister " touched down.
I rolled a fattie and stuck it out in my decrepit hotel.
wallace
Terrible destruction and loss of human life. Sometimes the warnings don't come quickly enough especially out in the countryside.
Does FEMA still exist these days? Those people need urgent federal help.
Nibek32
@bassfunk
Your analogy fails. Trump and musk literally fired the people who are to detect these weather conditions and warn the people. And now there are 30+ fatalities (and counting) as a result.
Based on the location, the sad irony is that most of the deceased likely voted for this.
Nibek32
Unfortunately, FEMA has been stripped to nothing.
Not to worry, trump will send them prayers.
bass4funk
Great! Sincerely and definitely appreciate it.
…and you don’t want them, believe me…
Thank you.
Lol
bass4funk
Oh, give me a break!
I'veSeenFootage
These type of disasters will only get more lethal in the future thanks to Donald Trump's dumb policy decisions that prioritize billionaires over everything else, nature included.
WoodyLee
When the power companies in these states start laying power cables underground ???
WoodyLee
When will they make it mandatory by law in these states for every home to have an underground shelter ???
WoodyLee
They've only been talking about going underground for the past 50 years or so.