Violent storms and tornadoes kill at least 7 in the US.

Violent storms and tornadoes on Thursday, April 3, 2025, tore across the US south and midwest, killing at least seven people.

According to The Guardian, the disaster also downed power lines and trees, smashing homes, and upturning cars across multiple states.

The outbreak of storms and tornadoes occurred in Tennessee and Missouri, with further fatalities expected to be confirmed.

One of the victims has been named: a 68-year-old man called Garry Moore who was a fire chief in Cape Girardeau county, Missouri.

At least a dozen injuries have also been reported from the storms.

The White House has approved a state of emergency request from Tennessee, where rising floodwaters have menaced Nashville.

Indiana, meanwhile, has declared its own state of emergency.

It activated 50 national guard members to deal with severe weather that has impacted 41 of the state’s counties.

Indiana’s governor, Mike Braun said:

‘“In times like these, I’m immensely grateful for the soldiers who are on the ground ensuring Hoosier safety.”

The storms are now tracking east, after leaving more than 213,000 households without power from Texas to Ohio.

A “high-risk” excessive rainfall warning was issued by the National Weather Service.

They were issued for parts of Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky that are expected to be deluged over the next two days.

Dozens of tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued in parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Mississippi on Wednesday evening.

In Arkansas, the National Weather Service told residents: “This is a life threatening situation. Seek shelter now.”

At least one person died due to the storms in Missouri, police there said, with multiple reports of damage across several states.

Homes were ripped apart in Lake City, Arkansas, and trees were shredded and cars flipped over.

In parts of Tennessee, people were told to not use the roads due to the amount of debris on them.

A rare tornado emergency was declared around Blytheville, Arkansas, on Wednesday evening after debris was hurled at least 25,000ft into the air.

Chelly Amin, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told the Associated Press:

“It’s definitely going to be a really horrible situation here come sunrise in the morning in those areas, coming out of Arkansas.”

In Indiana, winds reached 81mph (130km/h) and caused widespread power outages.

Debris from damage has covered roads in the state and schools have been closed.

Scientists have said that while the US south and midwest have long faced the prospect of such storms, the severity of such events is being amplified by the climate crisis.

Tornadoes may be shifting to different parts of the country, while a warmer climate holds more moisture, leading to more intense downpours.

The coming days are likely to bring severe flash flooding across several states, with more than a foot of rain possible.

There will be “significant, life-threatening flash flooding” until Saturday, the National Weather Service warned.

“Historic rainfall totals and impacts are possible,” it added.

Heavy rain has already started to swell rivers around Memphis, Tennessee.

The National Weather Service warning of the threat of flooding in the city as soil becomes saturated with water.

“Flash flooding will emerge as a primary concern with this extremely active pattern,” the weather service said on Thursday.

The looming floods are likely to cause further damage and increase the death toll.

One man did manage an unusual escape, though, after a tornado destroyed his home in Selmer, Tennessee.

Matt Vandevander jumped into his bathtub to shelter from the storm but it ripped him out of his house and threw him into his neighbor’s yard.

Somehow, Vandevander survived with just a few scratches.

“It’s a miracle,” he told WMC, a CNN affiliate. “I’m very happy – happier than I probably should be.”

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