The death toll rose after the Kansas Highway Patrol reported that eight people were killed in a highway pileup caused by a dust storm in Sherman County on Friday.
The death toll from massive storms in the Midwest has increased to at least 32 people as more fatalities were reported in Kansas and Mississippi. The storm system has included violent tornadoes, dust storms, and severe weather across multiple states.
The death toll rose after the Kansas Highway Patrol reported that eight people were killed in a highway pileup caused by a dust storm in Sherman County on Friday. The crash involved at least 50 vehicles.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves announced that six people had died across three counties, with three others still missing. He also reported 29 injuries statewide in a post on X. The state was particularly hard-hit by tornadoes overnight, which killed at least 12 people. One man was killed as a result of his house being destroyed by a tornado.
“It was unrecognizable as a home. Just a debris field," said Coroner Jim Akers of Butler County, according to The Associated Press. “The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls.”
In Arkansas, officials said three people died in Independence County, while another 29 were injured across multiple counties.
“We have teams out surveying the damage from last night’s tornadoes and have first responders on the ground to assist,” Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders posted on X.
Sanders, Reeves, and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp all declared states of emergency, with Kemp doing so in anticipation of severe weather moving into his state. Authorities in Texas also reported that three people were killed in car crashes due to a dust storm in Amarillo on Friday.
The storms were part of a massive system that generated powerful winds, triggering dust storms and fueling over 100 wildfires throughout the Midwest. Forecasters warned of extreme weather conditions affecting more than 100 million people, with wind gusts stretching from the Canadian border to Texas.
The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of Minnesota and South Dakota starting Saturday. In Oklahoma, officials ordered evacuations in several communities as over 130 fires were reported, destroying nearly 300 homes.
Tornadoes continued to threaten the region on Saturday, with the highest risk spanning eastern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, western Georgia, and the Florida Panhandle, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
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