Off The Record
Tornado Outbreak Pummels Five U.S. States — Intense Footage Captures The Destruction
Tornadoes tore across many states on April 2 as strong storms blasted through the United States, with some of the most striking instances caught on camera.
Multiple sources indicated that tornadoes slammed at least five states across the central and eastern U.S. on Wednesday, generating flash floods, destructive winds, and emergency warnings.
One of the most intense tornadoes during Wednesday’s outbreak struck Lake City, Arkansas, where Fox Weather Exclusive Storm Tracker Brandon Copic captured a massive tornado crossing a road directly in front of his vehicle.
The footage, broadcast live, showed swirling debris, flashing power lines, and street signs bending under extreme winds. A FOX Weather anchor, reacting to the footage in real-time, described the storm as a “monster.”
Shortly afterward, Copic encountered another tornado in Caraway, just southeast of Jonesboro. As the storm intensified, he reported live, “This is a strong tornado with the horizontal vortex. This beast is at least an EF 3. This is not weak.”
Meanwhile, a FOX Weather broadcaster watching the same system characterized it as a “huge wedge tornado on the ground” with horizontal satellites and many vortices.
WREG News Channel 3 called the tornado as “incredible” as it tore across Craighead County, where Lake City is located, leaving significant devastation.
Lake City Mayor Cameron Tate confirmed to CNN that at least five homes and one power line were down following the tornado. He added that there were no immediate reports of injuries. The Arkansas Division of Emergency Management also confirmed reports of tornadoes on the ground, according to public information officer Lacey Kanipe.
Kanipe said, “We are working with local emergency management offices for situational awareness and still learning of impacts as they come in. It’s early in the event and we will release more information about potential impacts as it becomes available.”
The pandemic went beyond Arkansas. In Oklahoma, a tornado touched down in Owasso, a suburb north of Tulsa. Fox Weather provided a video showing damage to homes and trees after the storm slammed early Wednesday morning.
In Indiana, warnings escalated throughout the evening. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Indianapolis issued a tornado warning for Brownsburg, Clermont, and Rocky Ripple.
Minutes later, Indiana’s City of Carmel reported a tornado on the ground, ordering inhabitants to take cover. The tornado’s effect on local infrastructure was demonstrated by the partial destruction of a warehouse in neighboring Brownsburg.
Fox Weather posted video of a tornado in Potosi, Missouri, alerting viewers that tornadoes were still being produced across the Midwest by severe weather. Additionally, a tornado that was detected by radar and damaged trees and roofs in the city of Nevada was verified by Weather.com.
The Weather Channel also confirmed a tornado close to Paxton, Illinois, adding to the increasing number of tornadoes recorded throughout the Midwest.
A dome of record heat in the Southeast was expected to impede storms passing through the mid-Mississippi and Ohio Valleys overnight, according to forecasters, while additional systems were predicted to form over northern Texas. Cities like Louisville, Cincinnati, Nashville, Memphis, and Dallas were still in danger.
In a short-range prediction discussion, the NWS Weather Prediction Center (WPC) issued a warning about a “life-threatening, catastrophic, and potentially historic flash flood event” that is spreading throughout the Mid-South and Lower Ohio Valley.
Fueled by a strong spring system that draws warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico as it moves east, they predicted the risk will probably last for a few days.
The same area was also under a High Risk warning (Level 5 out of 5), the highest level issued by the Storm Prediction Center (SPC), which predicted that a combination of instability and strong wind shear would result in an outbreak of tornadoes, including several severe tornadoes and very large hail.
It was also anticipated that the system would sustain a wide-ranging warm sector, producing widespread, powerful thunderstorms from the Great Lakes southwest through the Mid-South, ArkLaTex, the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys, and into the Southern Plains.
The NWS also stated that heavy precipitation was anticipated overnight as the storm brought a late-season winter system to the Upper Midwest and Northern Plains. Unstable circumstances continued in the West as an upper-level trough passed over the area. Meanwhile, dry air and high winds created catastrophic fire conditions in several areas of the southern High Plains.
The public was advised by emergency officials to remain vigilant, pay attention to alerts, and seek shelter right away if conditions worsen.
Days after a catastrophic outbreak ravaged the Midwest and South, the tornadoes on April 2 struck. Storms that started Friday night resulted in at least 18 fatalities and extensive damage, according to reports on March 31.
A rare tornado emergency was declared in Taylorsville, Mississippi, on Saturday as the system grew stronger, affecting areas of Louisiana and Mississippi.
The SPC warned of potential EF4 or stronger tornadoes, its highest hazard category, days prior to the incident. Before the severe weather proceeded south, the first twisters made landfall in Missouri and Arkansas.
The SPC received more than a dozen tornado reports on Saturday alone, with Mississippi and Alabama receiving the most. Within 45 minutes, at least two strong tornadoes struck Walthall County, Mississippi.
Three confirmed deaths have occurred in Tylertown, but authorities warn that while rescue crews continue to comb through the rubble, the number might increase. According to early National Weather Service studies, some of the most powerful tornadoes had speeds of up to 165 mph and achieved EF3 rating.
Even more powerful tornadoes may be discovered during ongoing damage assessments. Over 50,000 people in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama were without power as of Saturday afternoon. Nearly 70 million people from the Northeast to Florida will be impacted by the extreme weather danger, which is predicted to last until Sunday.
Mississippi was still recovering from the devastating tornado outbreak when an earthquake struck, adding to the destruction. Officials are trying to determine the complete amount of the damage caused by both natural disasters, and the seismic event made rescue and recovery activities considerably more difficult.
Nevertheless, a number of variables other than the size of the earthquake affect how severe the damage is. Important factors include soil type, building structural strength, and distance from the epicenter.
Although local circumstances can increase the severity of an earthquake, major damage is often not anticipated till it registers beyond a magnitude of 4 or 5. To ascertain the complete scope of the crisis, authorities are conducting ongoing assessments.
Across the nation, a series of severe weather phenomena have coincided with this earthquake. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports that on Thursday, February 13, 2025, four earthquakes occurred close to Hayward, California.
At depths of 3.3 to 3.9 miles, the earthquakes, which ranged in magnitude from 2.7 to 3.6, happened in a limited area 2 kilometers east of Hayward. At 13:03 UTC, or 5:03 a.m. PST, the day’s first earthquake, with a magnitude of 2.7, struck.
Two minutes apart, two more earthquakes occurred: one with a magnitude of 3.3 at 19:52 UTC (11:52 a.m. PST) and another with a magnitude of 3.2 at 19:54 UTC (11:54 a.m. PST). The strongest earthquake, measuring 3.6 on the Richter scale, was detected at 21:59 UTC (1:59 p.m. PST) at a depth of 3.6 miles, according to the USGS.
With coordinates ranging from 122.052°W to 122.059°W longitude and 37.645°N to 37.648°N latitude, all four earthquakes were located next to one another. Even though the earthquakes seemed little, their position served as a clear reminder of how vulnerable the area is to earthquakes.
The Hayward Fault, a right-lateral, strike-slip fault that passes through Berkeley and Oakland on its way from San Pablo Bay to Fremont, is where Hayward is located, according to the USGS.
It creeps at a rate of roughly 5 millimeters (1/5 inch) annually, however part of this movement is irregular. Every year, about 4 millimeters (1/6 inch) become lodged, accumulating stress that is finally released during earthquakes.
Studies combine gradual creep with abrupt changes to estimate the fault’s overall displacement at 9 millimeters (1/3 inch) annually. It divides into a system of surface faults south of Fremont, which links to the Calaveras Fault. Scientists think the two faults might join at depths greater than 5 kilometers (3 miles), which could affect earthquake activity.
The most recent significant earthquake on this fault, according to experts at the University of California, Berkeley Seismology Lab, was on October 21, 1868, at 15:53 UTC (7:53 a.m. local time). With an estimated magnitude of 7.0, it struck the Bay Area and is known as the San Francisco earthquake of 1868.
The ground moved 1.9 meters (6.2 feet) sideways as the earthquake split the southern section of the Hayward Fault, which runs from Berkeley to Fremont.
Significant damage was reportedly caused by the earthquake. There were at least five fatalities and thirty injuries. Over $300,000 was lost in property, which was a huge amount at the time.
The Hayward Fault’s recurrent seismic pattern has long been investigated by seismologists. According to the USGS, significant earthquakes on this fault typically happen every 140–170 years. Experts caution that the fault is due for another strong earthquake, more than 150 years after the last significant rupture.
According to reports, the Hayward-Rodgers Creek Fault system has a 27% chance of experiencing an earthquake of magnitude 6.7 or higher during the next 30 years, according to the 2003 Working Group for California Earthquake Probability. The USGS and other geological organizations continue to keep an eye on seismic activity in the area because of this risk.
In addition, on Friday, March 14, wildfires ravaged Oklahoma due to strong winds. As firefighters battled to suppress the quickly expanding fires, multiple buildings in Logan County were consumed by flames.
Michael Armstrong, a KOCO 5 Field Meteorologist, was present when the destruction occurred. He reported the situation from Highway 105 between Henney and Choctaw roads, when he saw a house and several cars burning.
“It’s burning to the ground right in front of my eyes,” Armstrong said. “There are several vehicles here on fire. Extremely intense wind gusts just blowing Storm Command right now.” He called the situation “apocalyptic,” as flames consumed everything in their path. “Everything is just incinerated right now around me,” he added.
Firefighting was challenging due to the strong gusts. Videos from the area showed automobiles and houses on fire while the air was heavy with smoke. Although emergency personnel put in a lot of effort to combat the fire, the circumstances persisted.
The fires spread swiftly over arid terrain, prompting authorities to advise inhabitants to leave. Officials cautioned that the threat was far from finished, but the entire scope of the destruction is still unknown.
The Gun Club wildfire in Okmulgee County was 90% contained, while the Baldhill blaze was completely contained. The containment status of the Bever wildfire was unclear, while the Stripes wildfire stayed at 50%.
Several wildfires with differing degrees of control occurred in Osage County. The Maker wildfire was 70% contained, the Nadel wildfire was 60% contained, and the Acorn wildfire was 75% contained. The Bear, Tangon, and Pulare wildfires’ levels of control, however, were still unknown.
Other counties with active flames but no official containment percentages were Oklahoma, Garvin, Seminole, Payne, Creek, Murray, and Pontotoc. As situations continued to change, authorities advised locals to be ready for possible evacuations.
A fast-moving wildfire moved into neighborhoods in Stillwater on Friday night, prompting emergency officials to order evacuations in some areas.
The director of emergency management, Rob Hill, advised locals near Highway 51 and Range Road to leave right now.
“We’re asking people to evacuate, the fire has crossed the road into the neighborhoods. We have several structures on fire,” Hill said. Hotels and businesses were also impacted. Authorities evacuated the Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn, and La Quinta. Walmart was also cleared as a precaution.
Meanwhile, conditions around the region deteriorated due to heavy winds. The National Weather Service in Norman posted on X about a huge dust storm that was moving across Oklahoma. In northwest Oklahoma, where dust was being drawn into the storm from the north, the EPA issued a warning that visibility was at its lowest.
The most recent counties to be affected by Oklahoma’s blazing flames were Dewey and Custer. At the request of Oklahoma Forestry Services, the NWS issued a fire warning late Friday night for northwestern Custer County, western Dewey County, and northeastern Roger Mills County.
At 9:13 p.m. CDT, authorities said a hazardous wildfire was four miles northeast of Leedey and was traveling east at a speed of one to three miles per hour. Camargo, Leedey, Angora, and the adjacent regions were at risk from the fire.
Residents were advised by authorities to adopt all safety precautions and get ready for any potential evacuations. They underlined the possibility of intense fire behavior, such as wind-driven flames and tree burning, and cautioned against driving into smoke.
As the fires continued to be fueled by fluctuating winds and dry conditions, firefighters stayed on high alert. As the fire spread, emergency personnel kept a careful eye on the situation and prepared to act.
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