TL;DR

Two tornadoes were confirmed Thursday morning in Louisiana and Mississippi as part of a widespread severe weather outbreak that generated 418 wind damage reports across 22 states. The tornadoes touched down near Dupont, Louisiana and Whites Crossing, Mississippi between 7:15 AM and 10:50 AM CDT. The outbreak was driven by an expansive area of thunderstorms that developed across the South and spread eastward throughout the day.

What happened Thursday morning

Severe thunderstorms erupted across a massive swath of the United States on Thursday, June 18, producing tornadoes in the Deep South and damaging winds from the Gulf Coast to New England. According to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center (SPC), the event generated 2 tornado reports, 17 hail reports, and 418 wind damage reports spanning 22 states.

The tornado activity was concentrated in the Gulf South during the morning hours. At 7:15 AM CDT, the Stone County Emergency Management office in Mississippi reported trees down along Highway 25 east of Wiggins, near Whites Crossing. The damage was collocated with a tornadic debris signature on radar, confirming tornado activity. Just over three hours later at 10:50 AM CDT, a member of the public submitted video of a tornado in Dupont, Louisiana.

Both tornadoes remain unrated as of this publication. The National Weather Service will conduct damage surveys to determine Enhanced Fujita scale ratings and path details in the coming days.

A wind-dominant outbreak

While tornado reports were limited, the wind damage was extraordinary in scope. The 418 wind reports made Thursday one of the most significant wind events of the month, with damage concentrated across West Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, and the Carolinas.

West Virginia bore the brunt of the wind damage. Multiple reports documented widespread tree damage and power outages affecting thousands of residents. Near Coal City, over 2,000 residents lost power due to downed trees. In the Harman area, more than 900 customers were without electricity. The Webster Springs region, Beverly area, and communities near Twin Falls State Park all reported concentrated tree damage and power line failures.

The Gulf Coast states also saw significant wind impacts. In Louisiana, trees and fences were reported down in Lakeshore Village near Eden Isle around 6:14 AM CDT, with social media reports suggesting possible tornado activity. Trees were also downed in Avery Estates in Slidell and along Star Road in Brandon, Mississippi.

The wind reports extended far beyond the South. New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and other northeastern states all logged wind damage as the system tracked eastward through the day. Large trees were reported down near Delevan, New York, and damage was scattered across multiple New England communities.

Hail across the Central Plains

While the South dealt with tornadoes and damaging winds, the Central Plains experienced a hail outbreak. All 17 hail reports came from Kansas and Oklahoma, with the largest stones reaching 1.75 inches (golf ball size) in Anthony, Kansas and Belle Plaine, Kansas.

The Anthony area was particularly hard-hit. Between 2:04 PM and 2:08 PM CDT, multiple reports documented hail ranging from quarter size (1.00 inches) to ping pong ball size (1.50 inches) and golf ball size (1.75 inches). Social media and broadcast media shared photos of the larger stones.

Belle Plaine saw similar activity around 5:31 PM CDT, with golf ball size hail reported alongside numerous half dollar size stones. Other communities in Kansas and Oklahoma, including Iola, Mulvane, Haysville, Pond Creek, Tonkawa, and Lamont, all reported quarter to half dollar size hail throughout the afternoon and evening.

The meteorological setup

The outbreak was driven by an expansive area of convection that developed Thursday morning across north-central Texas and southern Oklahoma. According to the SPC's Day 1 Convective Outlook, the storms formed in response to modest low-level warm advection and a weak mid-level disturbance.

A very moist airmass was in place ahead of the convection and south of a surface cold front extending across Texas into the ArkLaTex and lower Mississippi Valley. The SPC noted that a substantial reservoir of instability was present. As the day progressed, the storms spread eastward into the Southeast and Carolinas. The SPC outlook highlighted that an isolated severe/damaging wind threat would persist downstream into the afternoon as the moist airmass underwent additional destabilization with daytime heating.

Separately, an upper-level low over northern Manitoba and Ontario contributed to severe weather across the Upper Midwest, while surface heating and a mid-level shortwave trough supported hail-producing storms across the Central Plains.

Context: part of an active June pattern

Thursday's outbreak continues a remarkably active severe weather pattern across the United States in mid-June 2026.

Thursday's event stands out not for tornado count, but for the sheer geographic scale of the wind damage. The 418 wind reports rival some of the most significant derecho events in recent years, though the damage was more scattered than a single organized line would produce.

What's next

The SPC has issued an Enhanced Risk for portions of the Central Plains for Friday, June 19, indicating the potential for more organized severe weather. A Marginal Risk remains in effect across parts of Texas, the Southeast, and the Upper Midwest for today.

Residents across the affected areas should continue monitoring local National Weather Service forecasts and warnings. With an active pattern in place, additional severe weather is likely in the days ahead.

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