Live updates: Massive storm system leaves at least 39 dead and hundreds of thousands without power | CNN (2025)

Our live coverage of the deadly storms that swept across the US has ended. Get the latest updates here.

The final tornado watch has expired across parts of North Carolina and Virginia as conditions continue to improve across the Mid-Atlantic.

The remainder of the rain and storms will move offshore of the Mid-Atlantic in the coming hours and out of the Northeast by the end of the day Monday.

The rain and storms across the Northeast are not expected to be severe and will mainly just be a nuisance for commuters during the day.

Tim Striegel, in red shirt goes though his damaged belongings while volunteers help him clean up after his mobile home was hit by a tornado in Calera, Alabama on Sunday.

A severe weather outbreak that has brought more than 950 storm reports across the central and Eastern US, including tornadoes, large hail and gusty winds, also brought rounds of heavy rainfall.

Below are some of the highest rainfall storm totals across the Southeast this weekend:

Record-breaking rain: Tupelo saw a daily rainfall record broken on Saturday when it received 5.12 inches. This breaks the daily record of 2.82 inches set on March 15, 1973. The city’s average rainfall for the month of March is 5.37 inches, so it has received more than a month’s worth of rainfall from this event.

Bowling Green also saw a daily record broken on Saturday with a total of 3.3 inches, which breaks the previous March 15th record of 2.25 set in 1922.

A deadly severe weather outbreak began on Friday, bringing over 950 storm reports to the Central US, including tornadoes, high winds and large hail.

There have been around 80 tornado reports, with dozens of tornadoes confirmed. Storm surveys will be ongoing for the next few days to get a final tornado count.

There have been two EF4s, 4 EF3s, 9 EF2s, 11 EF1s and 1 EF0s. These include the two EF4 tornadoes in Arkansas, EF3 tornadoes in Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri and Louisiana, EF2 tornadoes in Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas and Kentucky, and EF1 tornadoes in Alabama, Mississippi, Indiana, South Carolina and Paulding County, Georgia.

There have been over 710 high windstorm reports across the central and Eastern US, with widespread wind gusts of 60-80 mph, with the highest wind gust of 89 mph in Latrobe Airport in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania.

These gusts have fueled power outages affecting more than 180,000 customers as of 11 pm ET, with Pennsylvania seeing around 90,000 customers without power.

Two separate EF4 tornadoes occurred in Arkansas on March 14, according to the National Weather Service in Little Rock.

The last time more than one EF4/F4 tornado hit Arkansas on the same day was on March 1, 1997.

On that day in 1997, three tornadoes were rated F4. These tornadoes occurred before the revised Enhanced Fujita scale was released in 2007.

The weather service in Little Rock also found EF3 damage in Fifty-Six in Stone County with winds of 140 mph, and EF2 damage in Fitzhugh in Woodruff County with winds of 120 mph.

Note that more surveys are coming, and all these are preliminary.

Trey Bridges, 16, climbs a mountain of tornado debris to help the Blansett family recover items not destroyed by Saturday's tornado, on Sunday, in Tylertown, Mississippi.

A vast storm system that swept across the US this week has killed at least 39 people across seven states.

Three people have been confirmed dead in Alabama where damage is being assessed in more than half of the state’s counties, according to Gov. Kay Ivey.

“Yesterday’s severe weather impacted most of Alabama,” Ivey said in a statement Sunday morning. “Unfortunately, we have learned of the loss of at least two of our fellow Alabamians — one life in Plantersville and one in Winterboro.”

By Sunday evening, the governor had confirmed a third death in Dallas County. “I offered condolences to local officials in both areas,” Ivey added.

The weather system brought high winds and wildfires to Oklahoma, killing at least four people in four separate counties, according to Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokesperson Keli Cain.

One person died amid reduced visibility in Garfield County, emergency management officials in the state said. Deaths were also confirmed in Haskell, Lincoln and Pawnee Counties, Cain said in a Sunday statement.

In Lincoln County, a youth wrestling coach died after being severely burned during the wildfires on Friday, according to CNN affiliate KOCO. Allen Ferguson died on Saturday, according to a GoFundMe page set up by his family. Ferguson’s son also suffered severe burns and is “facing a long road to recovery,” the page said.

The number of storm-related deaths confirmed in each state are as follows:

A tornado watch has been issued for central and eastern North Carolina as well as parts of southern Virginia, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

The watch is in effect until 1 a.m. ET and includes the cities of Raleigh, North Carolina, and Richmond, Virginia.

Tornadoes are possible as well as straight line wind gusts up to 70 mph and hail the size of ping pong balls.

“Scattered severe thunderstorms will move northeast across the watch area this evening, with a risk for a couple tornadoes, damaging gusts, and isolated large hail.” the Storm Prediction Center said.

The tornado watch covers 6 million people.

The National Weather Service said Sunday an EF-4 tornado struck near Larkin, a town in northern Arkansas, with peak winds reaching 170 mph.

This marks the second EF-4 tornado confirmed in Arkansas today after officials found damage consistent with winds of 190 mph in Diaz.

Violent tornadoes are EF-4 or stronger. Only 1% of all tornadoes get this strong, but they account for an outsized 66% of all tornado deaths, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

Before this weekend, the last EF-4 tornado in Arkansas occurred in December 2021.

President Donald Trump said his administration is ready to assist after tornadoes and severe storms hit several states in the South and Midwest over the weekend.

“We are actively monitoring the severe tornadoes and storms that have impacted many States across the South and Midwest — 36 innocent lives have been lost, and many more devastated,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Sunday. “The National Guard have been deployed to Arkansas, and my Administration is ready to assist State and Local Officials, as they help their communities to try and recover from the damage,” he added.

Trump also asked people to join him and first lady Melania Trump in praying for those impacted by the storms, offering encouragement in the aftermath of the disaster.

People work through the debris of the Cave City Auto Parts store on Saturday, in Cave City, Arkansas.

A tornado survey team has found damage consistent with an EF4 tornado in Diaz, Arkansas, the National Weather Service in Little Rock said Sunday. The weather service estimated peak winds of 190 mph.

Tornados of EF4 strength are labelled as “violent” and can be devastating, easily destroying homes, tossing cars and downing large trees.

At least three people have died in connection with severe weather in Arkansas.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency Saturday in response to the extensive damage caused by the storms. It will remain in effect until March 29.

The Weather Service said more damage surveys are underway, with more information expected in the coming days.

A tornado watch has been extended until 5 p.m. ET Sunday for the Tampa Bay area, according to the National Weather Service.

The watch covers five counties – Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus – as well as the adjacent coastal waters, including Tampa Bay. The main threats are damaging wind gusts and an isolated tornado. The storms may additionally bring hail, frequent lighting and heavy rain.

The severe weather risk is tied to a cold front moving through the region, with strong storms remaining possible through early Monday morning.

More than 50 million people across the East Coast, from Pennsylvania to Florida, are under the threat of severe storms Sunday as the larger system shifts eastward.

Friends and family members take a break as they search for belongings in the damage after a tornado passed through the area, Sunday, in Plantersville, Alabama.

Nearly 300,000 customers across several states are without power Sunday afternoon after a destructive storm system swept across the US this weekend, spawning violent tornadoes and deadly road conditions.

As of 4 p.m. ET, more than 290,000 customers were without power, according to PowerOutage.US.

As the larger system shifts east, more than 50 million people from Pennsylvania to Florida are under the threat for severe storms. In Pennsylvania, over 150,000 homes and businesses are currently without power.

More than 40,000 outages were reported in hard-hit Missouri where the storm system left 12 people dead. At least 35 people have died as a result of the massive storms, including in several Southern states, such as Alabama and Mississippi.

In this screengrab from video, a school bus was thrown into the side of a school after severe storms in Alpine, Alabama, on Saturday.

Cleanup got under way Sunday in Alpine, Alabama, where volunteers from Revive Church in Talladega told CNN they were stunned by the destruction left by the storm that swept the area.

“Disaster,” said James Stewart, 39, when he was asked to describe what he had seen.

Directly across the street was a heavily damaged school gymnasium, where the roof and the wall facing the road had given way, exposing the interior to the elements. Outside, a bus that had been thrown against the building was leaning on its side, with yellow caution tape keeping curious bystanders away.

Debris, including twisted sheets of metal, wood and insulation, littered the area. At the cemetery’s edge, a tree leaned precariously over the gravestones, its trunk cleaved in half.

Another volunteer, Brandon Chittam, estimated there were perhaps two dozen volunteers helping out.

“It could have been a lot worse,” Charles Kelly said, standing in front of Winterboro Community Church in Alpine, Alabama, where he is pastor.

Across the street from the church, a school bus is lodged in the side of a school building. Portions of several buildings are severely damaged.

“It’s really amazing that what we’re looking at right here across the road and what we’re looking at behind us is so drastically different,” Kelly said. “… Just by God’s grace, I mean, very, very minimal damage.“ But the pastor said the community will rally around each other.

Back across the street, 16-year-old Trenton Garrett was directing traffic around the wreckage from the school buildings. A junior at the adjacent high school and member of the volunteer fire department, Garrett said he was out in the street to serve his community.

“Most people at this age really don’t want to get involved, but I love getting involved in my community,” Garrett said, “These folks don’t have to listen to me, but they are listening. They’re slowing down and they’re going the right way. I just love directing traffic,” he said.

A tornado watch is in effect until 2 p.m. ET Sunday for portions of southeastern Georgia, eastern South Carolina and much of North Carolina up to the Virginia state line, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

The watch includes Savannah, Georgia; Columbia, Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Wilmington, Raleigh, Durham and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It brings “a greater risk for wind damage along with a threat for a couple of tornadoes,” the prediction center warned.

Severe thunderstorms in Georgia and South Carolina will move across the watch area through early Sunday afternoon, bringing the risk of those threats.

More than 50 million people are under the threat for severe storms Sunday from Pennsylvania to Florida as the larger system shifts eastward. The main threats will be damaging winds, a few tornadoes, and hail.

A tornado watch is in effect until 4 p.m. ET for portions of eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania and most of West Virginia, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

The watch includes Pittsburgh and Erie, Pennsylvania; Charleston, West Virginia; and Akron, Canton and Zanesville, Ohio.

The center warned:

More than 60 million people are under the threat for severe storms Sunday from Pennsylvania to Florida as the larger system shifts eastward. The main threats will be damaging winds, a few tornadoes and hail.

Debris blocks a road after an apparent tornado swept past the town of Gordo, in Pickens County, Alabama, on Saturday.

Two people have been confirmed dead as a result of severe weather that pummeled Alabama, Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement Sunday morning.

Damage has been reported in 52 of the state’s 67 counties, she added, noting officials are still assessing the damage.

Tim Scott, right, gets a hug from friend Jorden Harris outside Scott's home that was destroyed during a severe storm on Saturday.

More than 50 million people from Florida to Pennsylvania are under the threat of severe storms Sunday as a massive weather system pushes east, having left in its wake a path of devastation across the Central and Southern US.

Communities across the affected states continue to take stock of the devastation left in the wake of the storm system, which spawned an outbreak of tornadoes and left at least 35 people dead in Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama.

Parts of Alabama appeared to have been particularly hard-hit, with images and footage showing the storm had brought down trees and power lines and leveled homes and businesses. Footage from CNN affiliate WVTM shows a school bus lying on its side up against Winterboro High School in Talladega County, its left turn signal blinking in the dark.

“All I’ve got is a truck. I don’t even know where we’re going to be sleeping tonight,” one man whose Calera, Alabama, mobile home was destroyed told WVTM. “It’s just one of those things where everything’s unsure right now. Me and my daughter have our lives. That’s all I can say.”

Here’s the latest:

Debris lies around damaged houses the morning after a tornado touched down in Florissant, Missouri, on Saturday.

Customers across the South are without power Sunday morning with nearly 200,000 outages reported following a massive, deadly storm system sweeping across the region.

As of 8:30 a.m. ET, more than 198,000 customers were without power, according to poweroutage.us. Almost 61,000 outages were reported in hard-hit Missouri where the storm system left 12 people dead.

There were just under 50,000 customers without power in Georgia and 50,000 outages in North Carolina. More than 10,000 outages were reported in Mississippi where six people died after multiple tornadoes ripped across the state, and over 28,000 customers were without power in Alabama.

At least 33 people have died as a result of the massive storms. As the larger system shifts east, more than 50 million people are under the threat for severe storms from Pennsylvania to Florida.

A tornado watch is in effect until 3 p.m. ET Sunday for portions of southeastern Georgia and northern Florida, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

The watch includes Jacksonville and Gainesville, Florida, as well as Brunswick, Georgia, the prediction center said, warning, “A couple of tornadoes are possible, as well as damaging gusts with the stronger storms.”

More than 50 million people are under the threat for severe storms Sunday from Pennsylvania to Florida as the larger system shifts eastward. The main threats will be damaging winds, a few tornadoes, and hail.