(NewsNation) — Brutal storms are barraging the Midwest and South, killing at least six people, generating tornadoes and downing power across a swath of states.
Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Mississippi saw dozens of tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings on Wednesday, with 2.5 million people in multiple states falling under a relatively rare “high-risk” category.
More than 20 tornadoes have been reported across seven states, as of Thursday morning.
The National Weather Service forecasts the storms will linger across the central and southern U.S. for days, causing “life-threatening, catastrophic, and potentially historic flash flooding.”
Tornado, storm damage across US
In southeast Missouri, potential tornadoes tore through towns, ripping roofs off buildings and toppling trees. At least one person in the Ozarks area was killed during the storm, according to local reporting.
EF-1 tornado damage has been identified in the area, according to NWS damage survey results. Eight train cars were also knocked off their tracks, NewsNation local affiliate KSNF reports.
Arkansas saw multiple tornadoes on Wednesday as a rare Tornado Emergency alert was briefly issued in the state, National Weather Service meteorologist Chelly Amin told the AP.
“It’s definitely going to be a really horrible situation here come sunrise in the morning in those areas,” Amin said.
The Arkansas Division of Emergency Management on Wednesday reported at least four people were hurt, and damage has been reported across 22 counties from the storms.
NewsNation’s Alex Caprariello visited Brownsburg, Indiana, where a tornado barreled through the Sur La Table warehouse, as reported by NewsNation local affiliate WTTV. Nobody was killed, but emergency crews worked for hours to free a trapped employee, AP reports.
Other damage included five overturned semi trucks on the interstate near Lowell, Ind., per state police.
Four people were injured in Kentucky when a church was hit by debris from a suspected tornado, according to Ballard County Emergency Management,
The Tennessee Department of Health confirmed two weather-related fatalities on Thursday. The Fayette County Emergency Management Agency confirmed another fatality — a father whose mobile home was flipped with the family inside — to NewsNation local affiliate WREG.
Parts of the state were under a Level 3 state of emergency Wednesday.
With more than a foot of rain possible over the next four days, the prolonged deluge “is an event that happens once in a generation to once in a lifetime,” the weather service said.
Photos: Severe storms sweep across Midwest, South
-
Lightning strikes as storms move through the area Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Ashland City, Tenn. -
A tree fell and knocked down power lines and blocked a street in a residential neighborhood during storms on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. -
Damage in Danville, Ind., after severe storms wracked the Midwest on April 2, 2025. -
A building collapses in Brownsburg, Ind., following severe storms on April 2, 2025. -
In an aerial view, a section of roofing has been removed by tornado activity at J & J Transportation on Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Jeffersontown, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry) -
In an aerial view, a smashed truck sits under a section of collapsed warehouse wall after violent storms and tornadoes tore through the area on Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Jeffersontown, Ky. (AP Photo/Jon Cherry) -
Warehouse workers gather at the site of a storm damaged warehouse in Brownsburg, Ind., Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
