The most dangerous threat was in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi, where intense long-duration tornadoes were striking on Saturday, forecasters said.
Severe storms that left at least 15 people dead across Missouri and Arkansas spawned intense, long-lasting tornadoes at a level typically experienced only once or twice in a lifetime that swept across a vast section of the South on Saturday.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported 12 fatalities in the state as of Saturday afternoon, with six in Wayne County, three in Ozark County, one in Butler County, one in Jefferson County and one in St. Louis County.
In Arkansas, three people were killed in Independence County, and 32 others were injured across the state, according to the Arkansas Division of Emergency Management.
The National Weather Service tornado survey team said that it found that the damage sustained on Friday night in Cave City, Ark., was consistent with winds of 165 miles per hour.
On Saturday afternoon, the buzzing of generators and chain saws filled the air in Cave City, as neighbors came together to help the city of 2,000 clean up.
“We’re all a big family,” said Lisa Coles, a resident. “This will be devastating, but we’ll all pull together. This is why I live here. I wouldn’t live anywhere else.”
