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A small town about 45 miles southwest of St. Louis, called Villa Ridge, suffered damage when an EF-2 tornado damaged several buildings, including a Burger King.
Villa Ridge has a population of about 3,000 people and sits between Interstate 44 and Highway 100 in Franklin County.
Off the exit to Washington, Missouri, on Interstate 44, is a Burger King restaurant with a connected gas station next door. Across the way is a bank, another gas station, and a rest stop for large trucks.
Tornado was captured on video as it tore through Villa Ridge, Missouri on March 14, 2025.
(Chicago & Midwest Storm Chasers / FOX Weather)
Video from Friday night shows the tornado illuminated in the background during the severe weather, where the sign for the gas station and Burger King sits off the interstate.
The tornado ended up partially destroying the Burger King and gas station, trapping 13 Burger King employees and customers inside a bathroom where they were taking shelter.
Damage to the Burger King in Villa Ridge, Missouri, which was hit by an EF-2 tornado.
(Broadway Restaurant Group / FOX Weather)
Gabriella Breeding, Burger King's general manager, was on the phone with employees trapped inside the building as she rushed to the store, also calling 911 on the way.
She arrived about the same time as local firefighters, who checked the building and didn't believe anyone was inside. Breeding insisted people were in the building.
When they heard people calling out and saw the light of a flashlight, firefighters were able to find and rescue all the people inside.
None of the 13 people stuck inside were injured.
Damage to the Burger King in Villa Ridge, Missouri, which was hit by an EF-2 tornado.
(Broadway Restaurant Group / FOX Weather)
One of the employee's cars was totaled in the parking lot outside.
Five semi-trucks were flipped over nearby.
It's estimated the Burger King location in Villa Ridge will be closed for three to six months while the extent of damage is investigated and a determination is made about whether the building can be repaired or if it needs to be rebuilt entirely.
Damage to the inside of the Burger King in Villa Ridge, Missouri, which was hit by an EF-2 tornado.
(Broadway Restaurant Group / FOX Weather)
During that time, the approximately 20 people who work at that Burger King location will be offered a temporary transfer to one of the chain's locations in neighboring cities.
At least 12 people were killed in Missouri during the severe weather on Friday, the Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed.
The EF-2 tornado that touched down in Villa Ridge tracked 13 miles from Villa Ridge to Wildwood, Missouri, the National Weather Service said.
A severe storm on Monday swept through the U.S. Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, bringing thunderstorms, hail, damaging winds, and the potential for tornadoes.
Days earlier, the same ferocious weather system spawned violent twisters, blinding dust storms, and fast-moving wildfires, leaving at least 39 people dead in the South and lower Midwest.
Here’s what to know about the unusually erratic and damaging weather.
What’s expected on Monday?
Forecasters warned of dangerous winds from Florida all the way north to New Jersey, while heavy rain was likely across New York and New England.
A tornado watch was in effect until early Monday for a large swath of North Carolina and Virginia, with gusts potentially reaching 70 mph and possible hail the size of ping pong balls, said the National Weather Service office in Blacksburg, Virginia.
The dynamic storm that began Friday earned an unusual “high risk” designation from meteorologists. Still, experts said it’s not unusual to see such weather extremes in March.
What happened in Mississippi and Missouri?
In Tylertown, Mississippi, tornadoes ripped tall trees in half and wiped out entire neighborhoods. Six people were killed and more than 200 were displaced, Gov. Tate Reeves said.
Hailey Hart and her fiancé Steve Romero hunkered down with their three huskies inside their 1994 Toyota Celica as a twister ripped apart their home Saturday. Romero said he prayed out loud and hugged Hart as the car rolled onto its side, windows shattering, before it landed on its wheels again.
“It was a bad dream come true,” Romero said. The couple escaped with only scratches.
Wayne County, Missouri, resident Dakota Henderson said he and others rescuing trapped neighbors found five bodies scattered in rubble outside what remained of his aunt’s house. Scattered twisters killed at least a dozen people in the state Friday, authorities said.
Coroner Jim Akers of Butler County, Missouri, described the home where one man was killed as “just a debris field.”
“The floor was upside down,” he said. “We were walking on walls.”
Where were the wildfires and dust storms?
Wind-driven wildfires caused extensive damage in Texas and Oklahoma, and officials warned that parts of both states would face an increased risk of fire danger in the coming week.
More than 130 fires were reported across Oklahoma and nearly 400 homes were damaged or destroyed, Gov. Kevin Stitt said.
“Nobody has enough resources to fight fires when the wind is blowing 70 mph,” said Terry Essary, the fire chief of Stillwater, Oklahoma. “It’s an insurmountable task.”
Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokesperson Keli Cain said Sunday that two people were killed as a result of the wildfires and weather.
Meanwhile, dust storms spurred by high winds claimed almost a dozen lives on Friday. Eight people died in a Kansas highway pileup involving at least 50 vehicles, according to the state highway patrol. Authorities said three people also were killed in car crashes during a dust storm in Amarillo, in the Texas Panhandle.
What has the president said?
President Donald Trump said the White House was monitoring the storms and would assist state and local officials to help in the recovery. He said National Guard troops were deployed to Arkansas, where officials confirmed three deaths.
“Please join Melania and me in praying for everyone impacted by these terrible storms!” Trump posted on his social media network on Sunday.
At least three people, including an 82-year-old woman, were killed in central Alabama when multiple tornadoes swept across the state.
In Troy, Alabama, parks officials said the recreation center where many residents had taken refuge had to be closed due to damage from overnight storms. No one was injured.
“We are thankful the Lord provided protection over our community, and over 200 guests at the Recreation Center storm shelter on Saturday night,” the parks department said in a statement.
As Oklahomans assessed the devastation from wildfires that whipped across the state, damaging or destroying hundreds of homes, officials in both Oklahoma and Texas warned Sunday of an increased risk of fire danger in the coming week.
“We’re going to be back into a critical area,” Oklahoma Forestry Services spokesperson Keith Merckx said Sunday.
Wildfires fueled by high winds swept across the state on Friday. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said Sunday evening that over 400 homes were damaged statewide Officials said Sunday that at least four people had died because of the severe weather in Oklahoma.
Jeremy Cook was among the residents in Stillwater, a city of about 50,000 located about 65 miles (100 kilometers) northeast of Oklahoma City, who returned home Saturday morning to find that his house was gone. Cook told The Oklahoman that when his family fled Friday, they loaded up three cars with photographs, pets, books, and paintings.
After returning to find his home burned to the foundation, he said he was going back and forth “between laughing and crying.”
At least 74 homes in and around Stillwater were destroyed by wildfires, Mayor Will Joyce said Sunday night on Facebook. Fire Chief Terry Essary said at a news conference Saturday that the fires spread rapidly and crews had difficulty containing each one because of the high winds and low humidity. He said they quickly became overwhelmed.
“Nobody has enough resources to fight fires when the wind is blowing 70 mph,” Essary said. “It’s an insurmountable task.”
The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said on Sunday evening that the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner had confirmed four fatalities related to the fires or high winds across the state. There was one death each in Lincoln, Garfield, Haskell, and Pawnee counties.
Details were not given on the deaths in Haskell and Pawnee counties. Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokesperson Keli Cain said a person in Garfield County was killed in a vehicle accident due to poor visibility due to dust or smoke and that a man died in Lincoln County.
Deborah Ferguson told News 9 that her husband, Allen Ferguson, was killed in Lincoln County. She said that her husband and her 15-year-old son had been fighting a wildfire in a pasture on Friday and as they fled on a four-wheeler, it crashed into a tree amid heavy smoke. She said her son was badly burned and is hospitalized.
Erin O’Connor, a spokesperson with the Texas A&M Forest Service, said the region on Friday had the “perfect recipe for wildfires” with high winds, dry conditions and above-normal temperatures. She said that less wind on Sunday had helped crews get a handle on the fires but that more fire activity was expected this coming week.
One of the largest fires in Texas currently had burned about 14 square miles (36 square kilometers) near Fredericksburg, west of Austin, but was 40% contained by Sunday, she said.
The winds that swept across Texas and Oklahoma were so strong that they turned over several tractor-trailers. Authorities have said three people were killed in car crashes during a dust storm caused by high winds in the Texas Panhandle on Friday.
After touring the damage in Stillwater and Mannford, a city of about 3,000 located about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Tulsa, on Saturday, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt went on to survey the damage at his ranch outside of Oklahoma City, where his home there had burned to the ground.
“We’ll be rebuilding with the rest of Oklahoma,” Stitt said in a video posted on X. “You never think it’s going to happen to your place and these wildfires just come out of nowhere and can really take over.”
Unusually vicious and damaging weather across multiple U.S. states spawned violent tornadoes, blinding dust storms, and fast-moving wildfires over the weekend, leaving at least 39 people dead.
In the latest tally of the destruction, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said Sunday evening that more than 400 homes were damaged as wildfires swept across the state Friday. At least 74 homes in and around Stillwater were destroyed by wildfires, Mayor Will Joyce said Sunday night on Facebook.
The emergency management department also said the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed four fatalities related to the fires or high winds.
The National Weather Service said weekend tornado watches had mostly expired, but dangerous winds were still possible in the Carolinas, east Georgia, and northern Florida through Sunday.
In Mississippi, Hailey Hart and her fiancé Steve Romero hunkered down with their three huskies inside their 1994 Toyota Celica as a tornado ripped apart their home Saturday in Tylertown.
Romero said he prayed out loud and hugged Hart as the car rolled onto its side, windows shattering, before it landed on its wheels again. After the twister passed, they could hear people nearby screaming for help.
“It was a bad dream come true,” Romero said.
Next door, Hart’s grandparents crawled out from the rubble of their destroyed house after they sought shelter in a bathroom as falling trees collapsed the roof.
“Everything was coming down on us,” said Donna Blansett, Hart’s grandmother. “All I could do was pray to God to save us.”
They escaped with just a few scratches and aches. Family members, friends, and volunteers spent Sunday removing debris and salvaging anything they could find, including some damp clothes, a photo album and a few toiletries.
“I’m so happy you’re alive,” Hart said through tears, as she embraced her grandmother on Sunday.
Forecasters warned of dangerous conditions that turned deadly
The dynamic storm that began Friday earned an unusual “high risk” designation from weather forecasters. Still, experts said it’s not unusual to see such weather extremes in March.
President Donald Trump said in a post on his social media network that his administration is ready to assist affected communities.
“Please join Melania and me in praying for everyone impacted by these terrible storms!” he posted Sunday.
At least three people, including an 82-year-old woman, were killed in central Alabama when multiple tornados swept across the state.
In Troy, Alabama, parks officials said the recreation center where many residents had taken refuge had to be closed due to damage from overnight storms. No one was injured.
“We are thankful the Lord provided protection over our community, and over 200 guests at the Recreation Center storm shelter on Saturday night,” the parks department said in a statement.
Fatalities from twisters in battered Missouri reach 12
Missouri resident Dakota Henderson said he and others rescuing trapped neighbors found five bodies scattered in rubble Friday night outside what remained of his aunt’s house in hard-hit Wayne County. Scattered twisters killed at least a dozen people in the state, authorities said.
“It’s really disturbing for what happened to the people, the casualties last night,” Henderson said Saturday, not far from the splintered home he said they rescued his aunt through a window of the only room left standing.
Coroner Jim Akers of Butler County, Missouri, described the home where one man was killed as “just a debris field.”
“The floor was upside down,” he said. “We were walking on walls.”
Deaths in Mississippi and Arkansas
In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves announced that six people died and more than 200 were displaced after tornadoes sowed devastation across three counties. In the northern part of the state, roads were inundated and some people were stranded by flood waters.
One of the deaths occurred in Covington County, where Seminary resident Traci Ladner said she watched a tornado knock down trees and power lines and destroy a house Saturday as she drove home from Ward’s Restaurant.
She said the twister touched down briefly, traveled over Highway 49, and then went back up before making another quick descent.
“I was crying. My legs were shaking. It was pretty scary,” she said.
In Arkansas, officials confirmed three deaths.
Wildfires and dust storms drive up the death toll
Wind-driven wildfires caused extensive damage in Texas and Oklahoma, and officials warned Sunday that parts of both states would face an increased risk of fire danger in the coming week.
More than 130 fires were reported across Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt said.
“Nobody has enough resources to fight fires when the wind is blowing 70 mph,” said Terry Essary, the fire chief of Stillwater, Oklahoma. “It’s an insurmountable task.”
Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokesperson Keli Cain said Sunday that two people were killed as a result of the wildfires and weather.
Meanwhile, dust storms spurred by high winds claimed almost a dozen lives on Friday. Eight people died in a Kansas highway pileup involving at least 50 vehicles, according to the state highway patrol. Authorities said three people also were killed in car crashes during a dust storm in Amarillo, in the Texas Panhandle.