Severe Weather Strikes Southern U.S.: 18 Fatalities and Massive Power Outages

Severe weather caused many tornadoes over Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kentucky from late Saturday into Sunday, May 26, 2024, killing at least 18 people, including children. The storms knocked off power to about 500,000 customers or more than 1.3 million people.

The most severe damage was observed during the weekend in a region ranging from north of Dallas to the northwest tip of Arkansas.

A tornado ripped into a rural region near a mobile home park in Cooke County, Texas, near the Oklahoma border on Saturday night, killing seven people, according to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at a news conference Sunday. Approximately 100 individuals were injured in Texas, and more than 200 homes and structures were destroyed. More than one-third of Texas counties have been declared disaster areas.

Valley View, a small agricultural village in Texas, was among the hardest impacted, with officials estimating wind gusts of up to 217 km/h (135 mph). Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas confirmed eight deaths during a news conference on Sunday evening. According to an emergency official, two of the deaths were indirectly caused by the storm—one from a heart attack and the other from a lack of oxygen due to a power outage.

A 26-year-old lady died after being discovered outside a wrecked home in Olvey, Boone County. Additional fatalities occurred in Benton and Marion counties. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced a state of emergency early Monday, May 27, citing several reports of wind damage and tornadoes. In Louisville, police reported one fatality after a man was killed by a falling tree.

Two persons were slain in Oklahoma. Claremore suffered significant damage after a tornado ripped through the town center. As of 06:00 UTC on Monday, May 27, 491,829 consumers were without power across Kentucky, West Virginia, Missouri, Arkansas, and Virginia.

The numbers affected were 201 499 in Kentucky, 81 857 in West Virginia, 80 093 in Missouri, 70 367 in Arkansas, and 58 013 in Virginia. This outage affected around 1,278 800 people, including 523 900 in Kentucky, 212 800 in West Virginia, 208 200 in Missouri, 182 950 in Arkansas, and 150 800 in Virginia.

The National Weather Service warned late Sunday that severe storms were predicted to continue through the evening and overnight from the eastern Ozark Plateau into the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. “By Tuesday evening, a front ranging from the Upper Great Lakes/Middle Mississippi Valley and southwestward to the Southern Plains would have reached the Eastern Seaboard. The boundary will produce showers and severe thunderstorms over sections of eastern Missouri and the Ohio Valley,” NWS forecaster Ziegenfelder stated in a Short Range Discussion issued at 19:44 UTC on May 27.

The boundary will bring showers and strong thunderstorms to eastern Missouri and the Ohio Valley. The SPC has issued an Enhanced Risk (level 3/5) for severe thunderstorms in the Middle/Lower Mississippi Valley and Ohio/Tennessee Valleys until Monday morning.

These thunderstorms will produce frequent lightning, severe wind gusts, hail, and a few tornadoes, with an increased risk of EF-2 to EF-5 tornadoes and hail exceeding 5 cm (2 inches) in diameter in the Lower Mississippi/Western Tennessee Valleys. Severe thunderstorm wind gusts exceeding 120 km/h (65 knots) are forecast in sections of the Eastern Ohio and Eastern Tennessee Valleys.

Heavy rain is expected in regions of far eastern Missouri, extreme southern Illinois, and the southern third of Kentucky, resulting in a Moderate Risk (level 3/4) of excessive rainfall in the Tennessee Valley. This rain will cause flash floods, which could lead to major river flooding. A Slight Risk (category 2/4) of heavy rainfall has also been issued for sections of Wisconsin.

Showers and severe thunderstorms will develop on Monday, May 27, as the front travels from the Ohio Valley to the Mid-Atlantic region. A Slight Risk (level 2/5) of severe thunderstorms is forecast from the Mid-Atlantic to the Southeast, with dangers including frequent lightning, severe wind gusts, hail, and a few tornadoes.

The potential of extreme rainfall will shift eastward to the northern Mid-Atlantic/Northeast from Monday to Tuesday morning, triggering localized flash floods. The Southern Plains may see showers and thunderstorms with heavy rain by Tuesday, with a Slight Risk (level 2/4) of excessive rainfall and localized flash flooding.

Upper-level energy will transfer from the Northern High Plains to the Great Lakes, producing showers and thunderstorms.

Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories are in effect for southern Texas and the Central Gulf Coast until May 27 owing to a subtropical high over Mexico, resulting in a dangerous early-season heat wave with maximum temperatures near record levels and heat index readings over 46 °C (115 °F).

The heat wave is likely to last until a cold front passes about May 27.