Fast Facts:

• Missouri, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama and North Carolina all reported deaths from tornadoes or severe storms.
• Dust storm left several dead in Texas and Kansas; wildfires blamed for additional deaths in Oklahoma.
• Preliminary damage surveys found two EF-4 tornadoes hit Arkansas.

Cleanup and recovery operations are underway across the central and eastern U.S. in the wake of a powerful storm system that swept across the nation, producing violent tornadoes, a dust storm, wildfires and blizzard conditions that have left at least 42 people dead.

The multiday severe weather outbreak began to unfold Friday and lasted through the weekend, pounding communities with thunderstorms that packed hurricane-force wind gusts, torrential rain and lightning that knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of utility customers.

In total, NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) said more than 1,000 storm reports were received during the multiday severe weather outbreak.

The FOX Forecast Center has confirmed at least 56 tornadoes in 10 states so far, including EF-3 and EF-4 tornadoes, and storm survey teams from the National Weather Service will be out in full force to inspect damage and determine the intensity and path of additional twisters.

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President Trump says administration is ‘ready to assist’

President Donald Trump released a statement on Sunday saying he was monitoring the situation and said his administration stands ready to assist as recovery operations begin.

“We are actively monitoring the severe tornadoes and storms that have impacted many states across the South and Midwest,” he said Sunday. “36 innocent lives have been lost, and many more devastated.”

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Trump said the National Guard has been deployed to Arkansas, and his administration “is ready to assist state and local officials, as they help their communities to try and recover from the damage.”

He asked people to join him and First Lady Melania Trump in praying for those impacted by the deadly storms. 

STORMS SLAM NORTHEAST WITH HURRICANE-FORCE WIND GUSTS AS DEADLY SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK FADES

More than 50 tornadoes confirmed as storm surveys continue

So far, the FOX Forecast Center confirmed at least 56 tornadoes in 10 states since Friday, including two EF-4 tornadoes in Arkansas – one in Larkin and the other in Diaz.

Several EF-3 tornadoes were also confirmed, with those touching down in communities in Arkansas, Missouri and Alabama.

The FOX Forecast Center said at least 22 EF-2 tornadoes and 17 EF-1 tornadoes also touched down during the severe weather outbreak.

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NWS teams will continue to investigate damage to determine whether it was caused by tornadoes or straight-line winds.

The NWS office in Birmingham, Alabama, said its teams were looking into 16 damage tracks across Alabama from the storms on Saturday.

DEBRIS, FARM LIFE LITTERED ACROSS TYLERTOWN, MISSISSIPPI, AFTER DEADLY TORNADO RIPS THROUGH TOWN

It was a scary night for forecasters at the NWS Birmingham office as the storms swept across the region.

In a post on X, NWS Birmingham said its forecasters needed to seek shelter inside their safe room as a tornado-warned storm approached.

3 REPORTED DEAD IN CENTRAL ALABAMA AS RESIDENTS BEGIN CLEANUP PROCESS AFTER SEVERE STORMS

Deadly tornadoes, severe storms leave behind catastrophic destruction

At least 26 people are confirmed dead in five states due to the severe storm and tornado outbreak that swept across the Midwest and into the Southeast from Friday through Sunday.

Most of the destruction was found in southeastern Missouri, where officials confirmed at least a dozen deaths from severe weather and tornadoes. Six deaths were confirmed in Wayne County, three in Ozark County and two in Butler and Jefferson counties.

St. Louis County police said a woman there was found dead near electrical lines in the backyard of her home.

A tornado in Villa Ridge, Missouri, outside of St. Louis, was captured on camera as it caused significant damage. According to storm chasers, the tornado’s winds caused numerous power flashes, several semi-trucks to flip and various structures to be damaged.

Tornadoes were also reported in communities such as Rolla, Hartville and areas outside St. Louis. 

In Arkansas, three fatalities were confirmed in Independence County, and 29 people were reported injured in eight counties in connection to a storm system that moved through the state overnight, the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management said.

“As you drive through this community, you see so many neighbors coming out, taking care of each other,” Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Saturday. “The judge himself has been out clearing debris over the course of the last 24 hours.”

The NWS office in Little Rock found damage consistent with an EF-4 tornado near Diaz in Jackson County, with estimated winds of up to 190 mph. Another NWS Little Rock survey found EF-4 damage near Larkin in Izard County, with peak winds of 170 mph. 

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said he declared a state of emergency after tornadoes and an earthquake impacted his state over the weekend.

“Tragically, as of now, 6 deaths have been reported – one in Covington County, two in Jeff Davis County and three in Walthall County,” Reeves said Saturday night. “Also, as of now, three additional people are currently missing – two from Covington County and one from Walthall County.”

And in Alabama, Gov. Kay Ivey said three people in her state were killed during the severe weather.

“Emergency management officials have been working hard to assess the damage brought by this weekend’s storms,” Ivey said in a statement. “We tragically learned of another victim in Dallas County, which means we’ve lost three of our fellow Alabamians. I offered condolences to local officials in both areas.”

The two other deaths occurred in Plantersville and Winterboro.

In addition, Ivey said damage has been reported in 52 of the state’s 67 counties, and damage assessments were continuing.

“The sun has risen in Alabama, though,” she continued. “We pray for those lives we lost, as well as those who were injured. And we pray for our first responders, emergency management officials and linemen who are doing incredible work on the ground right now.”

Speaker Mike Johnson offered his condolences as communities began recovery and cleanup efforts after the deadly storms and warned that the threat was not yet over.

“Our prayers are with all those who are affected and with the families mourning their tragic losses,” Johnson said in a post on X.

In the storm system’s final chapter along the East Coast on Sunday, a large tree fell onto a single-wide trailer in Transylvania County, North Carolina, resulting in the deaths of two young boys, ages 11 and 13. The Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office, in conjunction with the North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office, is investigating the incident, which appears to be weather-related. 

Deadly dust storm slams Plains

Communities across the southern Plains were also impacted by a deadly dust storm as the system was working its way across the central U.S.

On Friday, a combination of damaging winds, dust storms and brush fires created chaos across the region, destroying hundreds of homes and causing vehicle pileups.

HURRICANE-FORCE WIND GUSTS FUEL FAST-MOVING WILDFIRES

One of the deadliest crashes was reported along Interstate 70 near the Kansas–Colorado state line, where a dust storm, which is believed to have dropped visibility to nearly zero, is being eyed as a contributor to the fatal crash. Troopers said at least 71 vehicles were involved in the incident, and at least eight people were killed as a result.

It took first responders nearly a day to clear the mangled wreckage from the road and reopen travel lanes.

To the south, in Texas and Oklahoma, a similar situation unfolded.

Four people were killed and multiple people were injured in crashes across Oklahoma and Texas as a powerful dust storm fueled by 60-85 mph wind gusts dropped visibility to nearly zero along highways and interstates on Friday afternoon.

Several people were also injured, including two paramedics, after a multi-vehicle crash involved an ambulance amid the intense dust storm near Blackwell, Oklahoma.

Officials in Oklahoma said four people were killed due to high winds or wildfires that burned in the state.

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said four people died – one in Lincoln County, one in Garfield County, one in Haskell County and one in Pawnee County.

Numerous injuries have also been reported.

Blizzard conditions blast Plains with whiteout conditions

While many parts of the U.S. were preparing for severe weather, to the north, winter weather was a concern.

Residents across the northern Plains and parts of the Midwest faced the powerful winter storm that unleashed strong winds, blowing snow and plummeting temperatures, creating near-blizzard conditions and hazardous travel.

The FOX Forecast Center said wind gusts up to 50-60 mph were expected from the Rockies and High Plains to the western Great Lakes.