13 Dead as ‘Historic’ Storm Lashes Southeast, Midwest and Northeast

After bringing a “once-in-a-generation” snowfall to the California mountains, an extreme weather system moved eastward late last week and into the weekend, bringing high winds to the Southeast and more snow to the Midwest and Northeast. 

The storm system knocked out power for nearly half a million people and led to at least 13 deaths, as USA Today reported Sunday. Five of those deaths were in Kentucky, where Governor Andy Beshear had declared a state of emergency ahead of Friday’s storm, as AP News reported.

“I saw neighbors helping neighbors and Kentuckians opening their homes and their hearts to those in need today in McCracken County,” Beshear tweeted after a tour of the hard-hit county Sunday. “Friday’s storm damage is significant, but seeing the strength of our people – once again – reminds us all there is hope. We are in this together.” 

The storm system was predicted to bring thunderstorms, high winds and tornadoes to the Southeast and heavy snow to the Midwest and Northeast, as the National Weather Service (NWS) warned Thursday. 

This is essentially what happened. Most of the deaths occurred in the Southeast and the Ohio Valley. Reported tornadoes wreaked havoc on Alabama, Louisiana, Kentucky, Arkansas and Texas, according to AP News. 

“It was very scary. I opened the front door to look out and saw it coming. I grabbed Kevin and went and got into the bathtub,” Arkansas resident Betty Andrews, who survived a tornado with her husband in their mobile home, told KSLA. “We hunkered down, and I said some prayers until it passed.”

Wind-felled trees were especially deadly, leading to three deaths in Alabama, one in Mississippi and two in Tennessee, as AP News reported. One man in Arkansas died after driving into a flood. In Kentucky, the NWS in Louisville said the storm was “historic.” 

“Today’s powerful and historic storm produced peak wind gusts between 60-80 mph,” the agency tweeted. “Unfortunately, this caused widespread wind damage and has left hundreds of thousands without power.”

Deaths were also reported in Indiana and Michigan. In Michigan, the main hazard was snow, which forced the Detroit Metropolitan Airport to close for a short period of time, as NPR reported. 

Snow – more than a foot of it — also shuttered businesses and canceled flights in parts of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York. 

Weather-weary denizens of the central U.S. should not expect relief this week. Another storm system is projected to begin in the Plains, starting in the Rockies Wednesday with the potential to bring snow to the Upper Midwest by Friday, AccuWeather said. Rain further south could lead to flooding as it falls on already damp earth.

“There is the potential for some states in the northern Plains to be hit with two snowstorms within a week,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Joseph Bauer.

The climate crisis makes extreme weather more likely because a warmer atmosphere leads to more intense storms that generate more precipitation.