KEY POINTS

  • Mississippi accounted for nearly half the reported deaths, with at least 11 deaths across six of the state's counties
  • North and South Carolina accounted for nearly half of the power outages as both states had over 200,000 customers without power
  • The storms had moved on from the South by Monday, spreading into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast with severe thunderstorms and some tornado warnings

Severe storms and tornadoes ripped across the southern U.S. on Sunday leaving at least 22 people dead and 1.3 million homes and businesses without power.

The severe weather is expected to continue into Monday night as heavy thunderstorms and strong winds stretch from Texas up to the Carolinas and encompassed Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia and Tennessee and with possible new watches coming in the Mid-Atlantic. Roughly 40 tornadoes were reported as the storms tore a path through nine states, destroying hundreds of structures.

Mississippi was one of the hardest-hit states as long-track tornadoes ripped across large portions of the state. Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency in response, saying it wasn’t “how anyone wants to celebrate Easter Sunday.”

Several residents took to Twitter to share pictures of the damage the storms caused.

“All I had was my arms to put over my son and mother-in-law,” resident Candice Pitts told The Weather Channel. “Was near a solid glass door that blew out and the roof in many places tore off or collapsed. My car was park(ed) under a shed that is now blown over in a yard nearby. It's mangled.”

Mississippi also accounted for at least half of the reported deaths as the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency confirmed 11 deaths. Four deaths were reported in Jefferson Davis County, two in Jones County, two in Lawrence County, and one death in Carroll, Panola and Walthall Counties, each.

Louisiana, Alabama, and South Carolina subsequently declared states of emergency as the storms ravaged the states.

PowerOutage.US also reported Sunday that nearly 1.2 million customers were without power as the storms spread. While power had been restored to some areas, over 950,000 customers were still without power going into Monday as the storms pushed into the northeastern U.S.

North Carolina and South Carolina accounted for the most outages with 257,160 and 201,655 customers, respectively, without power Monday.

The wave of severe weather had moved on by Monday, with forecasts showing storms spread from Virginia to Maine. Tornadoes were still considered a possibility in Virginia and parts of Kentucky and West Virginia, while dangerous winds and severe thunderstorms across most of the Northeast. Gusts that could reach up to 70 miles per hour have raised concerns for power outages from Philadelphia to Boston.

A home is shown destroyed by high winds from one of several tornadoes that tore through the state overnight on March 3, 2020 in Cookeville, Tennessee
A home is shown destroyed by high winds from one of several tornadoes that tore through the state overnight on March 3, 2020 in Cookeville, Tennessee GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Brett Carlsen
RELATED STORIES
Storm Tennessee