The US leads the world in weather catastrophes. Here's why
Nature dealt the United States a bad hand, but people have made it much worse by what, where and how we build.
LEARN MOREPosted: 9:28 a.m. EDT Apr 3, 2023
Just days after 108 unconfirmed tornadoes were reported throughout the central U.S., many of the same areas are bracing for another round of violent storms.
The Storm Prediction Center is warning of a potential severe weather outbreak for Tuesday spanning much of the Mississippi River Valley. The highest risk is in parts of Iowa, Illinois and Missouri.
The Storm Prediction Center said areas could have “sustained discrete supercell development with the potential to produce strong tornadoes.”
The storms follow Friday’s outbreak, which included multiple strong tornadoes. Tornadoes caused injuries and fatalities in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama. The National Weather Service was still in the process of confirming tornadoes from Friday’s outbreak.
As of Monday morning, the strongest tornado from last week’s outbreak occurred near Keota, Iowa. That tornado produced EF-4 damage, with top winds reaching 170 mph.
The system also produced multiple EF-3 tornadoes. A total of 32 fatalities have been reported in association with Friday’s storms.
On Sunday, President Joe Biden said he has dedicated federal resources toward relief and recovery efforts. President Biden approved an emergency declaration for Arkansas and has been in contact with other governors following the storm.
“There’s nothing we can do to heal the hole left in the hearts of far too many families who lost loved ones this weekend, but we will be there every step of the way as they rebuild and recover,” he said in a statement.
