Tornadoes and storm leave at least two dead in Missouri

The NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center warned that numerous major tornadoes, some of which may be long-tracked and violent, are expected during the afternoon and evening on Saturday.

Twenty-five tornadoes have been reported so far in the central states of the country between Friday and early Saturday morning, some of which were severe, destructive and deadly.

According to official information, an unusually high risk (level 5 of 5) of severe thunderstorms will affect Missississippi and Alabama starting Saturday and will extend into early Sunday morning.

Two people were killed and several injured in Ozark County, Missouri, due to tornadoes, thunderstorms and hail that struck the area, the Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed in an X post.

The report revealed that the deceased were an adult male and female. It shared images of properties without roofs and walls, adding that structural damage was noted, as well as downed power lines and trees.

Extreme weather conditions, including hurricane force winds, are forecast to affect an area with more than 100 million people. Winds with gusts of up to 130 km/h (80 mph) were forecast from the Canadian border to Texas, including possible snowstorms in the colder northern areas and with wildfire risk in the warmer, drier southern areas.

The NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center indicated that parts of Mississippi, such as Jackson and Hattiesburg, and areas of Alabama, such as Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, would be at high risk. Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are also expected in eastern Louisiana, western Georgia, central Tennessee and the western Florida panhandle.

In addition, heavy rains could cause flash flooding in some areas along the East Coast on Sunday in the affected areas, according to specialists.