What Happened
An estimated 50 tornadoes touched down across the South and Midwest killing at least 32 people according to CNN.
Multiple victims were found in Arkansas, Indiana and Tennessee according to the article above.
The Adamsville Police Department in McNairy Country, Tenn. said on social media, “The damage and loss that our community suffered last night was catastrophic.”
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders also declared a state of emergency and requested 100 state national guard members after the deadly weather according to NPR.
The Context
The National Weather Service forecasted “an unusually large outbreak of thunderstorms with the potential to cause hail, damaging wind gusts and strong tornadoes that could move for long distances over the ground.”
The weather service is also predicting these types of thunderstorms to become more frequent as the temperature rises. Another batch of storms is also forecasted this upcoming Tuesday, April 11.
According to NBC News, experts say that the U.S. is where the cold front from Canada and Pacific storms meet with tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico making an “annual cauldron of stormy weather.”
Bill Bunting, chief of forecast operations at the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center, said that over the past few years, Midwest tornadoes have been observed trending earlier in the spring rather than later in the year.
The Latest
This extreme weather is expected to continue as storm season continues. According to the Associated Press, the most recent tornado hit Missouri killing five people and causing “widespread destruction.”
According toPBS News, Biden declared a major disaster in Arkansas after the tornado hit and promised federal resources to help their recovery efforts. The storms leveled businesses, homes and trees while also tearing the roof off of some churches.
The death toll has risen to at least 63 people and is expected to rise as recovery efforts continue.
