A powerful wave of tornadoes tore through portions of the South and Midwest starting Friday, claiming at least 18 lives and cutting power to tens of thousands. Mississippi and Louisiana bore the brunt of the storm system, with several EF3 tornadoes confirmed and a rare Tornado Emergency declared for Taylorsville, Mississippi.
In Tylertown, authorities confirmed three fatalities, while two tornadoes slammed Walthall County within a 45-minute span. Meteorologists warn that the severe weather threat isn’t over yet, with dangerous conditions expected to affect as many as 70 million people across the eastern U.S. through Sunday.
Amid ongoing recovery operations, an earthquake was reported in Mississippi, further complicating the crisis. Though the magnitude remains unconfirmed, experts caution that local soil types and infrastructure may worsen the quake’s impact. Damage evaluations are currently underway.
Meanwhile, over in California, a cluster of moderate earthquakes rattled Hayward on February 13, with magnitudes ranging from 2.7 to 3.6. The activity occurred along the Hayward Fault—an area geologists consider primed for a significant seismic event, last seen in 1868 with a 7.0-magnitude quake.
On a separate front, wildfires flared up in Oklahoma on March 14, driven by intense winds. The fires destroyed several homes and vehicles in Logan County and forced evacuations in towns like Stillwater. Emergency crews are still working around the clock to contain multiple blazes, some of which remain uncontrolled due to shifting, high-risk conditions.
