At least 14 people are dead in Missouri and Arkansas following a widespread and dangerous severe weather outbreak Friday evening after numerous tornadoes were spotted across multiple states, causing significant damage.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said six of those deaths occurred in Wayne County; three others were reported in Ozark County, while the other two were confined in Butler and Jefferson counties.
In Arkansas, three fatalities have been confirmed in Independence County, and 29 people were reported injured in eight counties in connection to a storm system that moved through the state overnight, the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management said.
More than 150 million people were at heightened risk of severe weather over the two-day event. The SPC placed portions of more than half a dozen states under a ‘Particularly Dangerous Situation’ Tornado Watch Friday night ahead of the severe weather outbreak. A PDS Tornado Watch is issued when forecasters have high confidence that multiple violent tornadoes will occur in the watch area.