Severe storms claim across the South and Midwest of the U.S.

Severe storms affecting the United States over the past couple of days claimed at least 16 lives as of Wednesday, December 18, 2019. 12 fatalities in the Midwest are blamed on dangerous road conditions, while at least 4 died in tornado outbreak in the Deep South. Meanwhile, snow squall warnings were in effect through the Northeast.

The strong storm that hit Midwest dumped 8 to 23 cm (3 to 9 inches) of snow across Missouri, leaving a trail of stranded cars and fatal crashes, and burying neighboring states as well.

In the South, the same storm system spawned a tornado outbreak in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama that resulted in more than 13 000 power outages.