National Weather Service
Arthur formed Saturday in waters off Florida, marking the sixth straight year that a named storm has developed before June 1.
Dozens of people were also injured.
The storms struck first on Easter across a landscape largely emptied by coronavirus stay-at-home orders.
The tornado did major damage at the Mall at Turtle Creek and Jonesboro Municipal Airport.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
A top National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration official called the president's behavior βcrazy.β
The National Weather Service office in Miami tweeted: βDonβt be surprised if you see Iguanas falling from the trees tonight as lows drop into the 30s and 40s. Brrrr!β
High winds, tornadoes and unrelenting rain hit areas from Iowa to Alabama.
The Storm Prediction Center logged at least three dozen reports of storm damage from east Texas to Georgia.
Authorities in the western states were still grappling Saturday with the aftermath of heavy rains and snow over the busiest travel weekend of the year.
But blizzard conditions in a stretch of the country could threaten holiday travelers' trips home over the weekend.