It's been a rough 24 hours across the storm-ravaged South. Here's a roundup of the latest news.

  • The death toll is up to 305 people across six states and rising, with the majority — 204 so far — coming from Alabama. 36 of those fatalities were from Tuscaloosa. 137 separate tornadoes were reported. [NYT, WSJ]
  • The Red Cross reports 1,600 sought refuge in 65 shelters. [redcross.org]
  • Alabama's hospitals are overwhelmed with the injured. Over 1,500 have poured into the city's emergency rooms in the past 24 hours. [AL.com]
  • What happened? Experts are still trying to figure out what led to this historic outbreak of deadly tornadoes, possibly the worst on record. Experts are reluctant to blame climate change, instead pointing at La Nina as the likely culprit. [MSNBC]
  • Having trouble trying to conceive of the scale of devastation? Check out this amateur video. This gallery of 23 photos will also help. [YouTube, Birmingham News]
  • So will this aerial tour of an area that took a direct-hit. [AL.com]
  • Nancy Wilson, 56, was set to retire today. She was killed by a falling tree. [Birmingham News]
  • University of Alabama football player Carson Tinker was "thrown 50 yards from his house." His girlfriend was killed. [AL.com]
  • Want to help? Here's how. [CNN]


[Photos via AP]