Tornado Outbreak Spawns More Than 100 Twisters Across 14 States, Killing 40

Deaths Rise From Blitz Of Tornadoes, Winds, Fires

The cleanup is underway after multiple days of devastation in the Midwest and South from a severe weather outbreak that killed at least 40 people. More than a dozen of those deaths were due to wildfires or dust storms that were kicked up by the severe weather. Here's the latest:

Two EF4 Tornadoes Confirmed In Arkansas

The National Weather Service performed tornado damage surveys following the weekend's tornadoes in Arkansas and determined that two twisters received a violent preliminary EF4 rating (tornadoes are rated from EF0 to EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, ranked from 0 to 5 based on severity of damage).

One such tornado was confirmed in Izard County, Arkansas. The other, which had the most severe damage near Diaz in Jackson County, was determined to be a high-end EF4 tornado with maximum winds of 190 mph. For comparison, an EF5 tornado has winds of at least 201 mph, and no EF5 tornadoes have been confirmed in the United States since 2013.

"A well built home was totally destroyed, along with several vehicles that were rolled hundreds of yards," said the NWS in their storm survey.

Damage In At Least 14 States

More than 100 tornadoes have been confirmed in a total of 14 states, and the damage surveys are ongoing. Extensive damage was reported across Mississippi and Alabama. Homes were severely damaged in Chilton, Dallas and Walker counties in Alabama.

Drone video showed Tylertown, Mississippi, devastated after two tornadoes were reported in the area within an hour.

In Colbert County, Alabama, baseball-sized hail was reported near the town of Tuscumbia.

And in Paragould, Arkansas, the same neighborhood that was hit by a tornado last May was damaged again.

Death Toll Rose Rapidly

Missouri has reported at least 12 storm-related deaths, including six in hard-hit Wayne County and at least three in Ozark County.

A victim in Butler County was killed when a tornado flattened his home. "It was unrecognizable as a home. Just a debris field," coroner Jim Akers told The Associated Press, "The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls."

Three were reported dead in Alabama, and in Arkansas, three more deaths were confirmed in Independence County, with dozens more injuries reported across at least eight counties.

Two children were killed in North Carolina when a tree fell on a home in Transylvania County, Connestee Fire Rescue posted on Facebook.

The same storm system battered parts of the Plains on Friday, causing blinding dust storms and leading to deadly crashes that killed nearly a dozen people.

Eight people died in a pileup on a Kansas highway. At least 50 vehicles were involved in the crash, the state highway patrol reported. In Amarillo, Texas, three people were killed in car crashes.

The system also fueled more than 130 wildfires in Oklahoma, where more than 400 homes were reported damaged from the flames. At least four deaths were being blamed on the fires.

More Severe Weather On The Way

From weather.com senior meteorologist Chris Dolce:

A new winter storm in the West right now will emerge into the Central Plains and upper Midwest through Wednesday, packing snowfall and strong winds. Some areas from parts of Kansas and Nebraska to southern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin might see blizzard or near-blizzard conditions, leading to dangerous travel.

Parts of the southern High Plains won't see rain or snow, but high winds there will contribute to more fire danger and possibly blowing dust.

The storm could also produce a few severe storms with gusty winds or hail in some of the same areas recently affected by wind damage and tornadoes in the Midwest and South, but it won't be anywhere near as intense or widespread.