US: Seven Dead from Tornadoes and Severe Storms – Catastrophic Floods and Damage

At least seven people have lost their lives due to severe storms and tornadoes sweeping through the central and southern states of the US, according to local authorities on Thursday (03.04.2025). Violent winds and tornadoes flattened homes and demolished buildings from Oklahoma to Indiana in the first wave of storms, which are expected to break records for rainfall and flooding across the Midwest over the next few days. Several states, from Arkansas in the south to Ohio in the north, have been battling windstorms and heavy rains since Wednesday. The severe storms have left tens of thousands without power as the death toll rises, with meteorologists warning of worsening weather conditions. Authorities in Tennessee reported at least five deaths due to extreme weather. A father and his daughter were killed in Fayette County when their mobile home was struck by a tornado, according to media reports. Three others were hospitalized. Additional fatalities were reported in Indiana, where a man suffered electrocution when a power line fell on his car, while deaths were also confirmed in Missouri. Schools will remain closed in some affected areas, especially in Nashville, Tennessee’s capital. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear warned via X against ‘one of the most serious weather events ever predicted’ for the region. American meteorologists predict that the extreme weather, which could cause catastrophic floods, will continue until Saturday. ‘This is a catastrophic, potentially historic event of intense rainfall and flooding,’ stated the National Weather Service in a forecast, adding that people should prepare for ‘serious disruptions to daily life.’ Approximately 230,000 residents were left without electricity in the affected states, according to the latest data from poweroutage.us. Meanwhile, hundreds of flights were delayed or canceled on Thursday at major airports in central USA, including Dallas-Fort Worth and Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Last year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recorded nearly 1,800 tornadoes across the continental US—the second-highest number since 2004—leaving a total of 54 dead.