20-year anniversary of major tornado outbreak in mid-South

On April 2, 2006, dozens of tornadoes touched down across the mid-South, killing 26 people and destroying or damaging more than 1,200 homes.

Transcript

00:00Have you ever seen what one storm system can do in just a few hours?

00:0420 years ago, April 2nd, 2006, the Mid-South was hit by one of the most devastating tornado outbreaks of

00:10the decade.

00:11Dozens of tornadoes touched down across seven states in a single day, the most of any day that year.

00:17Damaging winds and hail added up to over 800 storm reports.

00:20The hardest hit areas? Eastern Arkansas, the Missouri Boot Hill, and western Tennessee.

00:25One long-track supercell produced multiple powerful tornadoes, including several-rated F3 with winds near 200 miles per hour.

00:32Entire communities like Marmaduke, Arkansas, and Carothersville, Missouri were torn apart with homeschools and businesses destroyed.

00:40In total, 26 people were killed and hundreds more injured.

00:43The outbreak was fueled by very warm, humid air colliding with a powerful spring cold front, creating the perfect setup

00:48for violent supercells.

00:50Two decades later, it remains a stark reminder of how quickly severe weather can turn deadly.

00:55For AccuWeather, I'm meteorologist Tony Laubach.