A mammoth tornado has ripped through the Arkansas capital Little Rock, just a week after more than two dozen deadly tornadoes tore through Mississippi and parts of Alabama killing at least 26 people.
Footage of the ferocious weather system was filmed from the seventh floor of the Little Rock Baptist Medical Center. The person filming could be heard gasping at the huge spinning tornado.
A man, who appeared unaware of the vortex, was filmed standing on the roof of another building as the powerful tornado, which reportedly reached level 3 or “mass casualty” strength, traveled towards him.
Another video in the wake of the massive system revealed debris strewn across the streets of Little Rock, which is just three hours northwest of Rolling Fork, where deadly storms raged last week.
A monster tornado has ripped through the Arkansas capital Little Rock, just a week after more than two dozen deadly tornadoes tore through Mississippi and parts of Alabama killing at least 26 people.
Tornado warnings were issued to 21 states with nearly 90 million people on Friday as forecasters said conditions could be similar to those that caused death and destruction in the South last week.
People in large sections of the Midwestern and Southern US are warned to prepare for hazardous weather, including tornadoes, this afternoon.
An outbreak of severe thunderstorms also has the potential to cause hail and damaging wind gusts, according to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center.
Major population centers most at risk for storms as of Friday afternoon include Memphis, Tennessee; Little Rock and Jonesboro, Arkansas; and Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
But people throughout eastern Iowa, western and northern Illinois, Missouri and Arkansas should also be prepared, said Northern Illinois professor of meteorology and tornado expert Victor Gensini.
The warnings come just a week after a series of devastating tornadoes struck Mississippi and parts of Alabama. Those storms destroyed cities and one carved a deadly path for 170 miles, killing at least 25 people in the two states.
Gensini said Friday’s weather pattern is similar to conditions that were present during the deadly Mississippi storm.
“There will be a lot of thunderstorms … tornadoes, damaging winds and large hail,” he said.
People in areas under the latest advisories should stock up on emergency supplies, prepare for power outages, avoid being stranded in places vulnerable to falling trees or severe hail, and park vehicles in garages if possible, forecasters said.
The bad weather could also spread to Chicago, where forecasters warned of a “relatively rare and significant severe weather threat” that includes powerful winds, tornadoes and large hail.
There are storm warnings covering about 21 states with 90 million people. A NOAA map shows much of the Midwest and South facing extreme weather Friday.
Joe Biden boarded Air Force One Friday morning to visit Rolling Fork with the First Lady
First Lady Jill Biden and President Joe Biden offered their prayers and support for the small Mississippi town.
Crowds gathered to listen as Biden spoke to residents in Rolling Fork, where he had traveled to survey the damage.
Biden greeted local residents after the deadly weekend of tornadoes and storms in Rolling Fork.
The dangerous forecast is the result of strong southerly winds carrying large amounts of moisture from the northern Gulf of Mexico, where they will interact with the strengthening storm system.
In South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem ordered state executive offices to close Friday in parts of the state as freezing rain, snow and high winds were expected. Many counties were under blizzard or ice storm warnings.
The weather service is also forecasting another batch of intense storms next Tuesday in the same general area as last week. At least the first 10 days of April will be tough, Accuweather meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.
Last Friday night’s ferocious tornado in Mississippi killed dozens of people, injured many more and leveled entire blocks while carving a path of destruction for more than an hour.
Some 2,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, according to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
The death toll was especially high in Sharkey County in western Mississippi, where 13 people died in a county of 3,700 residents. Winds of up to 200 mph (322 kph) battered the rural farming town of Rolling Fork, reducing homes to piles of rubble, flipping cars and toppling the town’s water tower.
Bill Bunting, chief of forecast operations for the weather service’s Storm Prediction Center, said people should have a severe weather plan that includes multiple ways to receive storm warning information.
The warnings come just a week after a series of devastating tornadoes struck Mississippi and parts of Alabama. Pictured: A pickup truck rests on a restaurant cooler at Chuck’s Dairy Cafe in Rolling Fork, Mississippi
A woman sits in the rubble of a home as cleanup continues after Friday’s tornado in Rolling Fork.
Last week’s severe weather event produced hail the size of golf balls as it tore through several southern states.
A rescue worker is seen wading through rubble in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on March 25, after the rural town was hit by tornadoes that killed 25 people.
“We have all seen the coverage of heartbreaking situations in other parts of the country. Our fervent hope is that people pay attention to the forecasts that have been coming out for several days regarding Friday’s threat,” Bunting said.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden traveled to Rolling Fork on Friday.
Biden is expected to announce that the federal government will cover the full cost of the Mississippi emergency measures for the next 30 days, including overtime for first responders and debris cleanup.
The President and First Lady will assess damage, meet with storm-affected homeowners and first responders, and receive operational briefings from federal and state officials.
They are expected to be joined by Governor Tate Reeves, Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and Representative Bennie Thompson.
In a statement after the tornado, Biden promised that the federal government would “do everything possible to help.”
“We will be there as long as it takes,” he said. “We will work together to provide him with the support he needs to recover.”
Presidents regularly visit parts of the US that have been devastated by natural disasters or have suffered great loss of life from shootings or other disasters.
Women hug amid the rubble of a home as cleanup continues after the Friday, March 28, 2023 Rolling Fork tornado
A woman walks past an uprooted tree, an overturned vehicle and debris from homes damaged by a tornado, Monday, March 27, 2023, in Rolling Fork.
Republicans have criticized Biden for not yet taking a trip to a toxic chemical spill site in a small Ohio town.
He also has to decide whether to visit Nashville after three children and three adults are shot to death at the Covenant School.
Severe weather last week makes life even more difficult in an area that is already struggling economically.
Mississippi is one of the poorest states, and the Black Delta has long been one of the poorest parts of the state, a place where many people live paycheck to paycheck, often in jobs related to agriculture.