Major Tornado Outbreak Across U.S. Occurred on Friday;
Record-Setting 98 Tornadoes, Most Ever for a Single Day in March

A massive tornado outbreak occurred in the U.S. on Friday, with a total 98 tornado reports according to NOAA. The outbreak spanned across 8 states. During the day, the National Weather Service issued 269 tornado and 335 severe thunderstorm warnings. Areas affected by the storms included West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Mississippi, Alabama and other Gulf Coast states. At least 37 fatalities have been attributed to the storms.

The state of Kentucky was placed under a state of emergency as storms made their way across the region. Several small towns in southern Indiana were destroyed. The outbreak surpassed the previous March calendar day record of 74 tornadoes from March 11-13, 2006.

 
NOAA Weather Map of Storm Reports on March 2, 2012

 
This radar image from the Weather Channel on March 2,
shows the storm band that spawned the tornadoes.

Tornado wipes out Indiana town of Marysville

 
Aerial View of Tornado Damage in Marysville, Indiana
Photo / AP, Al Behrman

A tornado that hit the town of Marysville, Indiana causing catastrophic damage. Clark County Sheriff’s Department Maj. Chuck Adams said the 1,900-person town of Marysville is "completely gone." Extreme damage was also reported in the nearby town of Henryville, home to about 2,000 people.

2nd tornado outbreak this week leaves trail of death, destruction

From the gulf coast to the Great Lakes, the storms touched nearly all walks of life. A fire station was flattened. Roofs were ripped off schools. A prison fence was knocked down, and scores of homes and businesses were destroyed. At least 37 people were killed, and dozens of others were hurt in the second deadly tornado outbreak this week.

"We knew this was coming. We were watching the weather like everyone else," said Clark County, Ind., Sheriff Danny Rodden. "This was the worst-case scenario. There's no way you can prepare for something like this."