Missouri lost the most lives in the storm and tornadoes, with 13 reported killed. Mississippi saw six people killed by tornadoes.

Wildfires or high winds were blamed for four deaths in Oklahoma, including a person who died in a car crash due to poor visibility and an individual whose remains were found in a burned home.

Vehicle crashes caused by dust storms killed eight in Kansas and three in Texas. Alabama and Arkansas each reported three.

The storm also killed two boys, ages 11 and 13, when a tree fell on their home in western North Carolina on Sunday, according to firefighters.

Strong winds knock down a group of pine trees in Richland Township, Pennsylvania, U.S., March 17, 2025. /VCG

There was a significant outbreak of tornadoes, with a preliminary count of 46 on Friday and 41 on Saturday, said a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Two strong tornadoes tore through the same Mississippi county roughly within an hour of the other on Saturday, according to the weather agency.

The twisters had preliminary ratings of EF-2 and EF-3, out of a rating scale of 0 to 5, and caused devastating damage in Walthall County, in far southern Mississippi, and in Tylertown.