Powerful storms killed two people in Mississippi, tore the roofs off an apartment building and a nursing home in a small town in Oklahoma and threatened more communities across the nation Tuesday with wide-ranging weather.
The large storm system also brought blinding dust storms to the Southwest, blizzards with whiteout conditions to the Midwest and fears of wildfires elsewhere.
In Irving, Texas, a tornado with winds up to 110 mph (177 kph) struck, while another touched down in the 16,000-resident city of Ada, Oklahoma, according to preliminary information from the National Weather Service. There were also two tornadoes in Louisiana’s northern Caddo Parish and at least five in eastern Oklahoma.
High winds forced some changes to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, which moved up and shortened the two biggest parades to wrap them up before the bad weather moved in.
The weather didn’t stop Shalaska Jones and her 2-year-old daughter from waving at passing Mardi Gras floats and hoping to catch one of the coveted coconuts thrown to the crowd.
“We was coming out, rain, sleet or snow,” Jones said.
The alarming weather could be one of the first big tests for the National Weather Service after hundreds of forecasters were fired last week as part of President Donald Trump’s moves to slash the size of the federal government. Former employees said the firing of meteorologists who make crucial local forecasts nationwide could put lives at risk, though it was too soon to know the impact on forecasts and warnings for this storm.
Deaths from storms in Mississippi
Two people died due to the severe weather, Gov. Tate Reeves posted on the social platform X, without going into detail.
WAPT-TV reported that one person died from a falling power line in Madison County, while a driver in the same county was killed by a tree falling on his car.
Hundreds of thousands left without power
Storms that swept through Texas and Oklahoma brought high winds and rain, overturning tractor-trailers and damaging roofs. More than 178,000 customers were without power in Texas, about 23,000 in Louisiana, another 18,000 in Mississippi, about 88,000 in Alabama, more than 16,000 in Oklahoma and more than 23,000 in Tennessee, according to PowerOutage.us.
More outages were expected as a line of storms raced across Mississippi and Louisiana and headed for Alabama, producing gusts of 70 mph (113 kph), the weather service said.
Strong winds lead to fires and damage in Texas
In San Antonio, high winds caused at least two grass fires that damaged several structures and prompted officials to order mandatory evacuations in two areas south of the city. One fire prompted officials to call for the evacuation of about 30 homes, San Antonio Fire Chief Valerie Frausto told reporters.
By late Tuesday afternoon, the Texas A&M Forest Service was responding to 13 active wildfires across the state, service spokesperson Adam Turner said.
In North Texas, strong thunderstorms with gusts over 70 mph (113 kph) damaged apartments, schools and RVs. At the Las Haciendas Apartments in Irving, northwest of Dallas, winds blew out windows and damaged brick siding along the walls of a building.
Power was knocked out to several Irving schools. In Plano, north of Dallas, winds tore off parts of a high school’s metal roof. In Parker County, west of Fort Worth, at least three RV trailers were overturned by strong winds.
Central Plains and Midwest brace for blizzard conditions
Blizzard conditions were forecast that could make travel treacherous.
Schools will be closed Wednesday in several southern Minnesota districts with 5 to 11 inches (about 13 to 28 centimeters) of snow expected. More concerning were winds forecasted to gust over 50 mph (80 kph) and stay high.
The National Weather Service in the Twin Cities said on X Tuesday night that travel was not advised over a large portion of southern Minnesota.
“It’s tough to find a @MnDOT road camera that isn’t covered in ice or blocked completely by blowing snow,” the post said.
South Dakota was expected to receive up to 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) of snow in some areas, and by Tuesday evening, high winds had already deteriorated road conditions.
Jay Jones, who works at Love’s Truck Stop in Sioux Falls, said he saw garbage cans flying around as winds gusted around 50 mph (80.5 kph). Parts of Interstate 29 heading north to North Dakota were shut down.
“It looks really bad out there,” Jones said, adding that he walked to work and would have to “have to tough it out” on his way home.
In Des Moines, Iowa, gusts up to 65 mph (105 kph) were expected Tuesday night — a rare occurrence, forecasters said.
Strong winds and snowfall were making travel hazardous Tuesday night in eastern Nebraska, according to the National Weather Service. Part of Interstate 80 was temporarily closed and the agency recommended staying off the roads if possible.
Nationwide, more than 500 flights were canceled, according to FlightAware.com, which tracks delays and cancellations. Airports in Dallas canceled the most flights.
Severe weather threatens during Mardi Gras
New Orleans Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick ordered parade-goers to not bring umbrellas, tents or “anything that could fly in the wind and cause mayhem.” In neighboring Jefferson Parish, officials canceled planned parades due to anticipated high winds and thunderstorms.
Even with winds sweeping through New Orleans, the city’s festive Bourbon Street was packed with revelers clad in purple, gold and yellow, shouting for bead necklaces tossed from balconies.
Ashley Luna and her aunt danced and skipped down the street holding beverages beneath the darkening sky, unconcerned about the evening’s prospects.
“The weather can always change. I’m not really worried about it,” Luna said. “I am just going with the flow.”