As the outbreak developed on April 25, numerous tornadoes touched down across Texas and Arkansas, including an EF3 tornado near Hot Springs Village, Arkansas that caused significant damage and killed one person and a long-track EF2 tornado in the Vilonia, Arkansas area that killed four people and injured 16 others while staying down for over an hour.
[3][4][5] From the 27th to early on the 28th, a series of devastating, long-tracked, violent tornadoes killed over 300 people throughout an area extending from Mississippi to Virginia.
A large, long-tracked EF4 wedge tornado was broadcast live on multiple TV stations as it caused catastrophic damage in densely populated areas of Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, Alabama, killing 64 people.
319 additional tornado-related deaths occurred within those two days before the outbreak came to an end, bringing the total death toll to 324 from 31 separate tornadoes; 24 other fatalities occurred from separate thunderstorm impacts.
[7] The outbreak continued during the overnight and into the morning of April 28, with 47 more tornadoes occurring from Florida to New York.