The Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather: Death toll from monster storm climbs to 42 as new system brews
Top weather news for Tuesday, March 18, 2025: Communities ravaged by a deadly severe weather outbreak are still assessing damage as the death toll from the violent storm system climbs. Meanwhile, a new storm system brewing over the central U.S. will bring blizzard conditions and a renewed severe weather threat starting later today.
Weather in America: March 18, 2025
FOX Weather has you covered with the breaking forecasts and weather news headlines for your Weather in America on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. Get the latest from FOX Weather Meteorologist Britta Merwin.
Welcome to the Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather. It's Tuesday, March 18, 2025. Start your day with everything you need to know about today's weather. You can also get a quick briefing of national, regional and local weather whenever you like with the FOX Weather Update podcast.
42 dead as recovery operations continue in wake of monster storm that spawned violent tornadoes, dust storms
Damage assessments and recovery operations continue after a powerful storm system over the weekend spawned a deadly severe weather outbreak, dust storms and wildfires.
At least 42 people have been confirmed dead in eight states, from Texas to North Carolina, since the disaster began to unfold on Friday.
In total, NOAA's Storm Prediction Center said it has received more than 1,000 storm reports associated with the event. Missouri has seen the most deaths from the storm, with 12, followed by Kansas, which reported eight deaths after a dust storm led to a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 70 near the Kansas-Colorado state line.
![Tornado damage in Paragould, Arkansas after the March 2025 tornado.]()
Image 1 of 8Tornado damage in Paragould, Arkansas after the March 2025 tornado. (Jim's Drone Adventures )
![A school bus on the Old Winterboro High School building in Alabama after an EF-2 tornado on March 15, 2025.]()
Image 2 of 8A school bus on the Old Winterboro High School building in Alabama after an EF-2 tornado on March 15, 2025. (Henry's Weather Channel)
![Storm debris hangs in trees left standing on Purina Farms after a tornado caused significant damage.]()
Image 3 of 8Storm debris hangs in trees left standing on Purina Farms after a tornado caused significant damage. (Purina Farms/Facebook)
![Damage sustained to a Purina Farms building after a tornado hit on March 14.]()
Image 4 of 8Damage sustained to a Purina Farms building after a tornado hit on March 14. (Purina Farms/Facebook)
![]()
Image 5 of 8Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt tours wildfire damage. (Governor Kevin Stitt)
![This image shows some of the damage after a tornado in Tylertown, Mississippi.]()
Image 6 of 8This image shows some of the damage after a tornado in Tylertown, Mississippi. ( )
![An aerial view of homes destroyed by Friday's wildfire on March 16, 2025 in Stillwater, Oklahoma.]()
Image 7 of 8An aerial view of homes destroyed by Friday's wildfire on March 16, 2025 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
![The Diaz, Arkansas EF-4 tornado seen from Tuckerman on March 14, 2025.]()
Image 8 of 8The Diaz, Arkansas EF-4 tornado seen from Tuckerman on March 14, 2025. (Tiffany Stafford)
New storm system to bring blizzard conditions as renewed severe weather threat eyes Chicago, Indianapolis
Another powerful storm system will move into the central U.S. later Tuesday, bringing a mix of heavy snow, high winds and a renewed threat of severe weather.
Blizzard conditions are likely in many of the same places in the northern Plains that saw blowing snow over the past weekend. Rain will transition to snow quickly from west to east between late morning and early afternoon on Tuesday, continuing into Wednesday.
On the warm side, the first of the strong to severe thunderstorms will develop overnight Tuesday and into early Wednesday across eastern Nebraska and Iowa. Chicago and Indianapolis could then see damaging wind gusts as the severe storms charge east on Wednesday.
This graphic provides an overview of the next storm system impacting the U.S.
(FOX Weather)
Extreme fire weather threat covers New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma
There is extreme fire weather danger Tuesday afternoon for parts of New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma as winds once again pick up over large swaths of very dry land.
Sustained winds of up to 30 mph are expected, with gusts between 40 and 60 mph. Any fires that ignite will have the potential to spread rapidly and uncontrollably.
Relative humidity is expected to drop into the single digits in some places. This comes after four people were killed in Oklahoma by a series of sweeping wildfires last week.
This graphic shows the extreme fire weather threat covering parts of New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma.
(FOX Weather)
Watch: Drone video shows bus laying on Alabama high school gym after deadly tornado
Drone video showed the power of a tornado's 120-mph winds in Alabama, where a school bus was lofted onto a high school gymnasium.
National Weather Service damage survey teams have confirmed at least seven tornadoes in Alabama from this weekend’s deadly severe weather outbreak.
Preliminary damage surveys found EF-2 damage in Talladega County, where a tornado with maximum winds of 120 mph tore through Winterboro, killing one person and injuring another person.
EF-2 tornado flips school bus onto Winterboro, Alabama gym
Drone video shows how 120 mph winds from an EF-2 tornado near Winterboro, Alabama flipped a school bus onto the high school gym.
Before you go
Here are a few more stories you might find interesting.
- 13 people rescued after being trapped in Burger King bathroom during tornado in Missouri
- Arkansas rocked by 2 nighttime EF-4 tornadoes during deadly outbreak: 'Holy cow, it's big'
- Magnitude 3.9 earthquake shakes San Francisco Bay area
Need more weather? Check your local forecast plus 3D radar in the FOX Weather app. You can also watch FOX Weather wherever you go using the FOX Weather app, at FOXWeather.com/live or on your favorite streaming service.