Oklahoma City (AP)-the threat of tornadoes in parts of the United States proved to be deadly, since the winds to beat moved to the east towards the Mississippi valley and the south of Deep South on Saturday, with at least two people killed in the Missouri center and a generalized damage there and in other places.
The road patrol of the state of Missouri reported that two adults died in the Bakersfield area in Ozark County and several people were injured. The deaths occur when a massive storm system that moves throughout the country unleashed the winds that damaged the buildings, whipped mortal dust storms and fueled more than 100 forest fires.
It is forecast that extreme climatic conditions, including hurricane force winds, affect an area to more than 100 million people. The burst winds of up to 80 mph (130 kph) were predicted from the Canadian border to Texas, threatening the snowstorm conditions in the coldest areas of the north and the risk of forest fires in warmer and more dry areas to the south.
“Numerous significant tornadoes, some of which should be long and potentially violent, are expected this afternoon and night.” The National Meteorological Service said Saturday.
The most serious tornado threats were east of Louisiana and Mississippi, Alabama and the western parts of Panhandle in Florida and Georgia, said the NWS.
According to the sergeant, three people were killed in car accidents during a dust storm in the yellow county in the Texas Panhandle. Cindy Barkley of the State Public Security Department. An accumulation involved about 38 estimated cars.
“It's the worst thing I've seen,” Barkley said, calling almost zero visibility like a nightmare. “We couldn't say that everyone was together until the dust settled.”
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Evacuations were ordered in some communities of Oklahoma, since more than 130 fires were reported throughout the state. The state patrol said the winds were so strong that they demolished several tractors-lights.
“This is terrible here,” said Charles Daniel, a truck driver who transports a 48 -foot trailer (14.6 meters) along the interest 40 in western Oklahoma. “There is a lot of sand and earth in the air. I am not pushing it more than 55 mph. I am afraid that I explode if I do it. “
The forecasts said that severe storm threat would continue until the weekend with a high probability of tornadoes and harmful winds on Saturday in Mississippi and Alabama. Heavy rains could bring sudden floods to some parts of the east coast on Sunday.
Experts say it is not unusual to see such Extreme weather in March.
“The only thing about this is its large size and intensity,” said Bill Bunting of the National Meteorological Service Storms Center in Norman, Oklahoma. “And so, what is doing is to produce really substantial impacts in a very large area.”
Tornados hit in the middle of the storm
The weather service said that at least five tornadoes were reported in Missouri on Friday, including one in the Saint Louis area. Several buildings were damaged.
The storm prediction center said that rapid motion storms could generate tricks and hail as large as baseball balls, but the greatest threat would come from straight line winds or that they are higher than the hurricane force, with 100 mph (160 kph) bursts.
“Potentially violent” tornadoes were expected on Saturday in parts of the central coast of the Gulf and the deep south in the Tennessee Valley, according to the National Meteorological Service.
The storm prediction center said that parts of Mississippi, including Jackson and Hattiesburg and Alabama areas, including Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, would have a high risk. They were also possible storms and tornadoes throughout the east of Louisiana, the West of Georgia, the center of Tennessee and the West of Florida Panhandle.
Forest fires are broken in the midst of dry and racing conditions
Forest fires in the southern plains threatened to spread rapidly amid the warm and dry climate and strong winds, and evacuations were ordered on Friday for some communities in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and New Mexico.
A fire in Roberts County, Texas, northeast yellow, quickly exploded from less than one square mile (approximately 2 square kilometers) to an estimated 32.8 square miles (85 square kilometers), said the forest service of the University of Texas A&M in X. Crews stopped its progress for Friday night.
At about 60 miles (90 kilometers) to the south, another fire grew to approximately 3.9 square miles (10 square kilometers) before its progress stopped in the afternoon.
The strong winds also eliminated power to more than 300,000 homes and businesses in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana, according to the Poweroutage.us website.
Blizzard warnings in Northern Plains
The National Meteorological Service issued Blizzard warnings for parts of the distant western Minnesota and the Far East of South Dakota from early Saturday. Snow accumulations were expected from 3 to 6 inches (7.6 to 15.2 centimeters), with up to one foot (30 centimeters) possible.
Winds were expected to burst at 60 mph (97 kph) cause blackout conditions.
& Copy 2025 the Canadian press