The National Weather Service has warned that the 2025 severe-weather season may be comparable to the infamous 2011 outbreak, wherein the Joplin Tornado, the deadliest tornado in recorded history, claimed 161 lives in just 38 minutes. Moreover, the 2011 season claimed nearly 600 lives, more than the last ten storm seasons combined.
Storms and tornadoes from Missouri to Pennsylvania continue to devastate the south, already claiming 39 lives as of March 18th. This includes 12 in Missouri, eight in Kansas, three in Arkansas, six in Mississippi, three in Alabama, three in Texas, and four in Oklahoma. The severity of the storms proves the potential of this year’s season: up to eight inches of rain in Tennessee, wind speeds of 190 mph in Alabama, baseball-sized hail in Missouri, and two EF4 tornadoes on the ground at once in Arkansas. For reference, the last time two tornadoes of this size hit Arkansas on the same day was in 1997 (CNN). These unprecedented conditions are proving worrisome to Meteorologists like Johnathan Belles with the Weather Channel who closely monitor these events. The conditions of the two seasons, given the severity of the 2024 hurricane season, shows treacherous storms ahead in 2025.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency that will remain in effect until March 29. The Trump Administration deployed the National Guard to Arkansas on March 16 to aid in rescue efforts. The President stated on social media, “My Administration is ready to assist State and Local Officials, as they help their communities to try and recover from the damage” (ABC). House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson added “the threat is not over” as the storm system moves east towards Pennsylvania.
Conditions of this storm system weaken as it moves northeast toward colder air, making it unlikely more severe damage will result. However, the death toll is expected to rise as missing individuals are recovered from debris. More than 300,000 individuals remain without power from Louisiana to Michigan from damage (CNN). This outbreak may be indicative of the potential the 2025 storm season has, and the destruction it may bring in the coming months compared to past seasons with similar conditions. All information above is accurate as of March 18, 2025.
IMAGE CAPTION: School bus thrown into side of school building by EF4 tornado in Alpine, Alabama, on March 15, 2025 (CNN Weather).
References
Channel, T. W. (2025, March 15). Deadly Tornado Outbreak Across Southeast | Weather.com. Retrieved from The Weather Channel website: https://weather.com/storms/tornado/news/2025-03-15-live-updates-tornado-outbreak-arkansas-mississippi-alabama-tennessee
El-Bawab, N., Pereira, I., Moore, J., Hutchinson, B., & Sarnoff, L. (2025, March 17). Tornado outbreak live updates: 40 dead in cross-country storm system. Retrieved from ABC News website: https://abcnews.go.com/US/live-updates/tornado-outbreak-live-updates-18-dead-dozens-injured/?id=119832914
Zerkel, E., Fritz, A., Miller, B., Faheid, D., Dewberry, S., Norman, G., … Chinchar, A. (2025, March 15). Violent tornado outbreak underway in South from storm that has killed at least 35. Retrieved from CNN website: https://www.cnn.com/weather/live-news/mega-storm-us-weather-03-15-25/index.html
