Severe weather leaves at least 27 dead across U.S.
KENTUCKY — At least 27 people have been killed by storms systems that swept across part of the U.S. Midwest and South, with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announcing Saturday that 18 of the deaths came in his state and 10 others were hospitalized in critical condition.
A devastating tornado in Kentucky damaged homes, tossed vehicles and left many people homeless. Seventeen of the deaths were in Laurel County, located in the state’s southeast, and one was in Pulaski County: Fire Department Maj. Roger Leslie Leatherman, a 39-year veteran who was fatally injured while responding to the deadly weather.
Parts of two dozen state roads were closed, and some could take days to reopen, Beshear said. He also said the death toll could still rise.
“We need the whole world right now to be really good neighbors to this region,” the governor said.
State Emergency Management Director Eric Gibson said hundreds of homes were damaged.
Kentucky authorities said there were also severe injuries after an apparent tornado tore across Laurel County late Friday, causing structures to crumble and even flipping over a car on I-75.
“The search is continuing in the damaged area for survivors,” the office of Sheriff John Root said in a statement posted on social media. An emergency shelter was set up at a local high school and donations of food and other necessities were arriving.
“The outpouring from our community has been heartwarming. We are continuing to accept donations,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
Spokesman Gilbert Acciardo said rescuers have “been on the ground all night looking for possible survivors. That’s what we’re continuing to do.”
The storm, which ripped across the rural area and extended to the London Corbin Airport, hit shortly before midnight.
The Troublesome Creek Times, a Knott County newspaper, shared pictures of London, Kentucky from Saturday morning. The destruction is evident.
“Lives have been changed forever here tonight. This is a time we come together, and we pray for this community,” London Mayor Randall Weddle told WKYT-TV. “I have never personally witnessed what I‘ve witnessed here tonight. There’s a lot of devastation.”
Earl Lyons was in Madison County, Kentucky on May 16, 2025 and he took a picture of this funnel cloud. (Earl Lyons)
The storm was the latest severe weather to cause deaths and widespread damage in Kentucky. Two months ago, at least 24 people died in a round of storms that swelled creeks and submerged roads. Hundreds of people were rescued, and most of the deaths were caused by vehicles getting stuck in high water.
A storm in late 2021 spawned tornadoes that killed 81 people and leveled portions of towns in western Kentucky. The following summer, historic floodwaters inundated parts of eastern Kentucky, leaving dozens more dead.
Missouri pounded by storms, with deaths confirmed in St. Louis
The storms were part of a weather system Friday that killed seven in Missouri and also spawned tornadoes in Wisconsin, left several hundred thousand customers without power in the Great Lakes region brought a punishing heat wave to Texas and temporarily enveloped parts of Illinois — including Chicago — in a pall of dust on an otherwise sunny day.
“Well that was…..something,” the weather service’s Chicago office wrote on X after issuing its first-ever dust storm warning for the city. Thunderstorms in central Illinois had pushed strong winds over dry, dusty farmland and northward into the Chicago area, the weather agency said.
In Missouri, St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said five people died, 38 were injured and more than 5,000 homes were affected in her city.
“The devastation is truly heartbreaking,” she said at a news conference Saturday. An overnight curfew was to continue in the most damaged neighborhoods.
Weather service radar indicated a likely tornado touched down between 2:30 p.m. and 2:50 p.m. in Clayton, Missouri, in the St. Louis area. The apparent tornado touched down in the area of Forest Park, home to the St. Louis Zoo and the site of the 1904 World’s Fair and Olympic Games the same year.
Three people needed aid after part of the Centennial Christian Church crumbled, St. Louis Fire Battalion Chief William Pollihan told The Associated Press.
Stacy Clark said his mother-in-law, Patricia Penelton, died in the church. He described her as a very active church volunteer who had many roles, including being part of the choir.
Jeffrey Simmons Sr., who lives across from the church, heard an alert on his phone, and then the lights went out.
“And next thing you know, a lot of noise, heavy wind,” he said. He and his brother went into the basement. Later, he realized it was worse than he thought. “Everything was tore up.”
John Randle said he and his girlfriend were at the St. Louis Art Museum during the storm and were hustled into the basement with about 150 other people.
“You could see the doors flying open, tree branches flying by and people running,” said Randle, 19.
At the Saint Louis Zoo, falling trees severely damaged the roof of a butterfly facility. Staffers quickly corralled most of the butterflies, the zoo said on social media, and a conservatory in suburban Chesterfield is caring for the displaced creatures.
A tornado struck in Scott County, about 130 miles south of St. Louis, killing two people, injuring several others and destroying multiple homes, Sheriff Derick Wheetley wrote on social media.
Two killed by falling trees in Virginia
Authorities in Virginia said that two people were killed when trees fell on their cars in separate incidents Friday.
A woman was pronounced dead after officials responded to a call for a tree on a vehicle on Frye Road in Woodlawn Friday evening, Fairfax County Police said. The age and identity of the victim was not released.
Another person was killed when a tree fell on their vehicle on the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Fort Hunt, U.S. Park Police told the WTOP station. No additional information was provided about this individual.