East Coast severe weather threat upgraded for millions as deadly outbreak shifts east on third and final day

More than 64 million people from Florida to New York state are at risk of severe weather on Sunday, including communities along the heavily traveled Interstate 95 corridor. Pittsburgh and Erie, Pennsylvania, are included in a level 3 out of 5 risk of severe storms.

PITTSBURGH – Sunday marks the third and final day of a deadly multiday severe weather outbreak that spawned violent tornadoes, a dust storm and even blizzard conditions that left more than 30 people dead across the U.S.

At least 23 people have been killed as a result of the severe weather and tornadoes, with Missouri appearing to have been the hardest hit as officials there confirmed at least 12 deaths. Deaths have also been reported in Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama.

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Damage left after a tornado swept through Elliott, Mississippi on March 15, 2025. (Robert Ray)

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Three fatalities, 32 injured in Independence County, AR (@AR_Emergencies)

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A car lays on its side after being blown over by a tornado in Elliot, Mississippi, on March 15, 2025. (Robert Ray)

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Tornado damage in Kentwood, Louisiana on March 15, 2025. (Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office)

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The National Weather Service warned that the destructive tornado had been sighted just after 4 a.m. and issued a "Particularly Dangerous Situation" Tornado Warning for Oakland City as the storm approached. (Gibson County Sheriff's Office)

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At least 14 people are dead in Missouri and Arkansas following a widespread and dangerous severe weather outbreak Friday evening after numerous tornadoes were spotted across multiple states, causing significant damage. (Missouri State Highway Patrol)

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Damage left after a tornado swept through Elliott, Mississippi on March 15, 2025. (Robert Ray)

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A tornado moves through Villa Ridge, Missouri, late Friday. (Chicago & Midwest Storm Chasers)

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Webster County, MO storm damage (East of Springfield, MO) (Webster County Emergency Management)

And in the central and southern Plains, a dust storm dropped visibility to nearly zero in portions of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas on Friday. Officials said eight people were killed in a multi-vehicle pileup on Interstate 70 near the Kansas-Colorado state line.

Officials in Texas said four people were killed in multiple crashes – two in Palmer County and two in Gray County due to the high winds and low visibility from blowing dirt and dust.

Severe weather threat upgraded for Northeast on Sunday

Sunday’s severe weather threat stretches from the Southeast to the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

In all, more than 64 million people from Florida to New York state are at risk of severe weather on Sunday, including communities along the heavily traveled Interstate 95 corridor.

However, NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has placed more than 4.5 million people in parts of western and central Pennsylvania and southwestern New York in a level 3 out of 5 risk on its severe thunderstorm risk scale. This includes Pittsburgh and Erie, Pennsylvania.

Meanwhile, in the Southeast, a Tornado Watch has been issued for portions of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina until Sunday afternoon.

Other Tornado Watches were issued farther north in portions of Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland, which will also remain in effect until late Sunday afternoon.

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The worst of the weather is expected in a swath that stretches from northern Florida northward to portions of the interior Northeast.

Cities inside this zone include Jacksonville in Florida, Savannah in Georgia, Charleston in South Carolina, Charlotte and Raleigh in North Carolina, Cleveland in Ohio, Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania and Buffalo in New York.

Damaging wind gusts will be the biggest threat with any severe storms that develop, but tornadoes are also possible.

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