The death toll is expected to increase as search and rescue teams continue to work together through debris and devastation.
The fierce storm that swept the Midwest and south on Friday killed at least 23 people and injured dozens more, causing Kentucky and Missouri to be hit hardest.
Kentucky alone has confirmed at least 14 deaths in Kentucky alone, according to a statement from Kentucky Governor Andy Besher.
The powerful weather system that swept Kentucky on Friday left a destructive trajectory in several states, killing seven people in Missouri and two in northern Virginia, laying tornadoes in Wisconsin, burning Texas in extreme heat and covering it with a thick veil of Illinois dust.
The majority of Kentucky’s deaths were reported in Laurel County, where local officials said it was likely that the tornado had landed around midnight near London Corbin Airport. The storm levelled the houses, throwing vehicles, leaving behind widespread destruction, mainly in rural areas.
United Cajun Navy volunteer Shannon Ross explained that he witnessed two tornadoes from her property in Adair County.
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“It was traveling just above our house. …It seemed you could touch it,” Ross told the Epoch Times, comparing witnessing the roaring of an airplane with the final approach to landing the experience above.
Ross said the twin tornadoes tore through multiple communities along the roughly 150 miles of stretch, including Somerset and London, leaving behind extensive destruction.
“London will be destroyed. It looks like the bomb has disappeared,” she said. “There are a lot of missing people and injured people, but they look like Hurricane Michael, who is not counted.
After losing his home in the Louisiana floods in 2016, Ross joined the Cajun Navy and is leading coordinated relief efforts from a base in Columbia, Kentucky. Around 12 rescuers are being performed on her property along the way to Baton Rouge, North Carolina and Maryland. She said hundreds of volunteers are expected to circulate through the area in the coming days.
“We’re going to show up and we’re going to help back up these small cities,” she said, adding that the team has been around for a long time. “We don’t just come on the first day, put down our diaper bags and leave.
London Mayor Randall Weddle described the scene as “unlike what I saw,” and told WKYT-TV, “It has changed here forever tonight, and this is what we are all praying for this community together.”
Missouri also faced fatal consequences on Friday, killing at least seven people, including five from St. Louis. Mayor Chara Spencer confirmed his death and said more than 5,000 homes had been damaged. Curfew was imposed in areas with the most intense hits as emergency crews worked to clear debris and restore services.
People investigated the damage after a severe storm travelled through St. Louis, Missouri on May 16, 2025. Jeff Roberson/AP Photo
The National Weather Service said Friday’s storm system led to widespread thunderstorms in Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio Valley, producing at least six tornadoes in Missouri, Illinois and nearby states. The harsh weather reached the Far East as in New Jersey, with another tornado confirmed.
Forecasters have strengthened risk advisories in parts of North Texas and southern Oklahoma, citing “extreme instability” and the possibility of a supercell storm that can produce very large hi. More intense storms were expected in upstate New York and western New England.
