Multiple people dead after severe weather hits Southern states
The Mississippi Capitol dome serves as a backdrop as city of Jackson, Miss., employees clear a tree fallen from the property surrounding the governor’s mansion Friday, March 3, 2023. Toppled due to heavy wind as severe weather passed through the state Friday, the tree blocked Congress Street and broke a window in a building across from the mansion. High winds left thousands of Mississippians without power. (Barbara Gauntt/The Clarion-Ledger via AP)
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(NewsNation) — Multiple people have been reported dead after severe storms created tornadoes and left thousands without power in a wide swath of the South and Midwest.
Three people in Alabama and two in Tennessee were killed by falling trees, according to the Associated Press, while in Mississippi a woman died after a tree branch struck her vehicle. One man drowned after diving into high floodwaters in Arkansas.
In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Saturday that at least five Kentuckians have died because of the severe weather. He had declared a state of emergency on Friday.
The Kentucky fatalities are: a 23-year-old man in Edmonson County; a 63-year-old man in Logan County; a 68-year-old man in Simpson County; and a 41-year-old woman in Fayette County.
“These were very serious storms, but thankfully we saw the potential impact early and Kentuckians took the advice given, which made a big difference,” Beshear said in a statement Saturday. “When it comes to power, this is going to be a multi-day event as we recover from very significant and widespread damage to power lines… Accidents can still happen due to downed power lines and high water. We’ve heartbreakingly already lost 5 people and we don’t want to lose anymore, so please stay alert.”
The National Weather Service in Louisville called the storm Friday “powerful and historic” with peak wind gusts between 60-80 mph.
As of Saturday morning, nearly 400,000 were still without power in the state. Across the states affected, more than 1 million are without power.
Now, millions of Americans in other states, such as California, Idaho and Maine, are also being told to be on alert because of winter weather, as the storm starts to approach the Northeast, USA Today reports. New England, from upstate New York and east through Boston, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, will see the biggest impact, according to USA Today.
To prepare, airport officials in Portland, Maine canceled several Saturday flights.
There’s a winter storm warning in effect Saturday and Sunday for northern and central California, though the southern parts are mostly spared. Earlier in the week, snow slammed the state, with residents seeing as much as 10 feet. It’s likely some residents in mountains east of Los Angeles will remain stranded in their homes, as the snowfall is too much to handle for most plows.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
