Tornado outbreak of March 13–16, 2025

From March 13 to 16, 2025, a widespread and deadly tornado outbreak, the largest on record for the month of March, affected much of the Midwestern into the Eastern United States, with additional severe weather and impacts on the East Coast. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) first issued a moderate risk for severe weather for parts of the Midwest and Southeast on March 14 as a large upper-level trough moved west over the Rockies. The Day 2 outlook was upgraded to a tornado-driven high risk area for portions of Mississippi and Alabama, making it the third ever issuance of a Day 2 high risk, with the previous two being for April 7, 2006 and April 14, 2012. On March 14, a moderate risk for severe weather was issued for the much of Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri, with a 15 percent risk for significant tornadoes centered around Southern Illinois and Southeastern Missouri. In the early evening, a PDS tornado watch was issued for portions of Southeast Missouri, Northeast Arkansas, Northern Mississippi, and more. Among the tornadoes that touched down that day were a long-track, high-end EF3 tornado that tracked through southern Missouri and prompted the issuance of a tornado emergency for Fremont and Van Buren, an EF2 tornado that moved into the Greater St. Louis area, notably crossing a St. Louis Lambert International Airport runway while a plane was taking off, a high-end EF4 tornado that caused catastrophic damage to rural neighborhood northwest of Diaz, Arkansas, a very long-track, low-end EF4 tornado that struck near Fifty-Six and Franklin, Arkansas, an EF3 tornado that killed three people in Bakersfield, Missouri, a long-track, high-end EF3 tornado that went through Cushman and Cave City, Arkansas, killing three, and a low-end EF3 tornado that killed one person after ripping through a trailer park near Poplar Bluff, Missouri. On March 15, the SPC continued the high risk area, delineating the potential for a widespread outbreak to occur with long-track and potentially violent tornadoes expected, with Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) tornado watches being issued for the respective regions. In the early afternoon, a tornado emergency was issued for parts of Walthall, Lawrence, Marion, and Jefferson Davis counties in Mississippi as a large, violent, long-track EF4 tornado was moving through the area; at least five people were killed and at least nine others were injured by this tornado. Tornadoes continued in Mississippi and Alabama throughout the afternoon and evening, including an EF2 tornado that struck Winterboro, Alabama, damaging a high school and killing one person, and an EF3 that killed two people near Plantersville, Alabama. On March 16, a slight risk for tornadoes was issued for the South Atlantic States as several weak tornadoes touched down across the East Coast. At least 43 people were killed by tornadoes and other weather-related impacts across eight states. Additional non-tornadic impacts associated with the system involved damaging straight-line winds that fueled wildfires in Oklahoma and a dust storm in some areas as a result further east near the Upper Midwest. With a total of 118 confirmed tornadoes, the outbreak became the largest ever in the month of March, and received a score of 147 on the Outbreak Intensity Score (OIS), classifying it as a "historic" outbreak. The outbreak caused $11 billion in damages, making it the costliest tornado outbreak in United States history when unadjusted for inflation.