Monday, March 17

At least 40 people are dead and numerous others are injured after a massive tornado outbreak ripped through the United States, spawning dozens of tornadoes across the Midwest and Deep South.

The storm swept through the Midwest on Friday before ravaging the southeastern portion of the country on Saturday, heavily affecting states like Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama. The multistate system was a combination of supercells, which usually spawn tornadoes, and squall lines, which are strong cells arranged in a long line that stretches for hundreds of miles that can also spawn tornadoes.

Missouri was one of the hardest-hit, with 12 people dead in that state alone. The initial damage there has also taken longer to fix, as Missouri remains the only state hit by the storm to still have upwards of 10,000 power outages. Nevertheless, many towns were hit hard by several strong tornadoes, and it may take years to recover. Houses were reduced to pieces by the fierce winds, and flying debris destroyed other homes, cars, and additional structures.

However, this system did not just drop rain and spawn tornadoes. Texas and Kansas were hit by massive dust storms that resulted in major accidents on roadways-- one pileup in Kansas involved over 71 vehicles and killed 8 people alone. The winds, which traveled for long distances beyond the storm, expanded around 150 wildfires across Oklahoma, doing more damage. Those wildfires have collectively burned around 170,000 acres and destroyed around 300 buildings, wiping out entire neighborhoods.

Unfortunately, strong systems like this are common during the spring in the United States, as the period from the beginning of March to the end of May is considered tornado season. During this season, warm, moist air from the Gulf sweeps into the country, mixing with cold air from the Arctic to form tornadoes. In fact, the central United States has the most tornadoes per year of any location on Earth, giving it the nickname, "Tornado Alley."

Upcoming Events:

• St. Patrick's Day (Monday, March 17)

• NCAA March Madness Begins (Tuesday, March 18)

• International Day of Happiness (Thursday, March 20)

• French Language Day (Thursday, March 20)

• Naw-Rúz (Thursday, March 20)

• International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (Friday, March 21)

• World Indoor Athletics Championship Begins (Friday, March 21)

• World Poetry Day (Friday, March 21)

• Nowruz (Friday, March 21)

• World Down Syndrome Day (Friday, March 21)

• World Day for Glaciers (Friday, March 21)

• International Day of Forests (Friday, March 21)

• World Water Day (Saturday, March 22)

• World Meteorological Day (Sunday, March 23)

• World Indoor Athletics Championship Ends (Sunday, March 23)

• Winter Military World Games Begin (Sunday, March 23)

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): The Texas horned lizard wards off predators by squirting a jet of blood straight from its eyeballs. The blood is mixed with a chemical that has a repellent taste, especially to common predators like wolves and coyotes. They can also aim the blood with surprising accuracy, and it can travel as far as five feet.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Maybe some people think that it’s all about the hype, about the fame, but it’s not. It’s all about being the best. It’s all about challenging myself everyday. (Joanna Jędrzejczyk)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Rife (adj, RYFE) - Rife usually describes things that are very common and often—though not always—bad or unpleasant. Rife is also commonly used in the phrase “rife with” to mean “copiously supplied” or “having a large amount of; full of.” Unlike most adjectives, rife is not used before a noun.

In a Sentence: Speculation about who would be sent to the new office had been rife for weeks.