At Least 18 Dead After Powerful Storms Sweep Across Multiple States in the South

The dead included two children, ages 2 and 5.

Damage at a truck stop the morning after a tornado rolled through, in Valley View, Texas, on May 26, 2024. Julio Cortez/AP Photo

VALLEY VIEW, Texas—Powerful storms killed at least 18 people, injured hundreds and left a wide trail of destruction across Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas after obliterating homes and destroying a truck stop where dozens sought shelter in a restroom during the latest deadly weather to strike the central U.S.

The storms inflicted their worst damage in a region spanning from north of Dallas to the northwest corner of Arkansas, and the system threatened to bring more violent weather to other parts of the Midwest. By Monday, forecasters said, the greatest risk would shift to the east, covering a broad swath of the country from Alabama to near New York City.