More Severe Weather Pummels Central US as Thousands Recover From Deadly Tornadoes
At least four tornadoes were confirmed in Oklahoma and Nebraska on Monday evening, according to a preliminary report from the National Weather Service.
Across Oklahoma, at least 10 homes were destroyed and multiple buildings were damaged, including a fire station that was wiped out, according to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management. A spokesperson for the agency said they have not received any reports of injuries or deaths.
Around 115,000 customers were without power in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri, according to PowerOutage.us.
Parts of several highways were also closed due to flooding or storm damage.
In northwest Arkansas, severe weather caused a Halsey concert to be canceled, and a municipal airport had to close temporarily Monday night so crews could remove debris from the field. And in Oklahoma, Tulsa Public Schools canceled all afterschool activities.
Related Stories
5/18/2025
5/17/2025
Northern Texas saw softball-sized hail measuring 4 1/2 inches in diameter, according to Scott Kleebauer, a meteorologist with the service's Weather Prediction Center.
Missouri and Kentucky Clean Up
Earlier Monday in St. Louis, where officials estimated a Friday tornado damaged 5,000 buildings and may cost well over $1 billion, the mayor warned that federal assistance could take weeks.
Kentucky has been hardest hit by the storms. A devastating tornado late Friday into early Saturday damaged hundreds of homes, tossed vehicles, and killed at least 19 people, most of them in southeastern Laurel County.
In London, Kentucky, where the devastation was centered, the small airport became a beehive of cleanup work after it took a direct hit from a tornado. Small aircraft stored there had large dents in them, and even wings ripped open. Officials were using it as a base to get water, food, diapers, and other supplies out to the community.
'We have 1,001 things going on. But we're managing it. And we're going to get it all cleaned up,' said London Mayor Randall Weddle.
Officials in Kansas and Texas were also evaluating damage from late Sunday storms.
The risk of severe storms moves into Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee on Tuesday, the weather service said.
Kentucky Hit Hard
The Kentucky storms that killed 19 people were part of a weather system that caused seven deaths in Missouri and two in northern Virginia, authorities said.
Lonnie Nantz hid in a hallway with his wife, two daughters, and a grandson as the one-story brick home they bought near London in 1977 was destroyed around them. They were trapped in rubble for about 20 minutes in the midnight darkness before they were rescued unharmed.
'I don't know why this happened. I've tried to live a good life all my life. I've still got the faith,' said the 77-year-old Nantz, who went to church as always on Sunday.
London city worker Ashley Taylor was back on the job Monday loading doughnuts to take to a hospital and dispatch center even though there was a tarp on her roof. She was lucky—the houses across her street were destroyed late Friday night.
She survived the storm with nine other people and three dogs in the crawl space of a neighbor's home.
'We prayed like never before—and just thankful for everything God did for us,' Taylor said.
In surrounding Laurel County, first responders mourned one of their own.
Fellow firefighters found the body of Laurel County Fire Major Leslie Leatherman on top of a woman he was shielding from the storm's fury as he answered calls during the worst of the storm. The woman was yelling for help, and they were in a field across from a destroyed subdivision.
The injured woman turned out to be Leatherman's wife, and officials aren't sure if he knew who he was protecting in the darkness and chaos, the fire department said on social media.
St. Louis Waits for FEMA
St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said five people died, 38 were injured, and more than 5,000 homes were affected by an EF3 tornado with winds up to 150 mph that slammed areas north and west of downtown Friday. Spencer has estimated that damages will exceed $1.6 billion.
'Eight miles of pure destruction, at times a mile wide,' Spencer said at a Monday news conference. 'We're talking about thousands of buildings, thousands of families are being displaced.'
The city is awaiting a disaster declaration from the governor's office as a first step to getting federal assistance.
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, expressed frustration over the federal response to a deadly March storm.
'I'm not happy about the fact we're still waiting from all of that damage two months ago,' Hawley said.
Acting Federal Emergency Management Agency Chief David Richardson said last week he plans to shift responsibility for disaster recovery to states this year as part of an agencywide transformation and that FEMA would coordinate federal assistance 'when deemed necessary.'
Spencer said during a news conference Monday evening that emergency protocols put in place in 2021 were not followed, possibly preventing sirens from being activated to warn residents about the tornado.
She said it was not clear whose responsibility it was to let the community know about the emergency, but that the fire department would do so moving forward.
In Texas, several tornadoes touched down west of Fort Worth on Sunday, including an EF1 with peak winds of 105 mph that caused damage in and around Gordon, the weather service said Monday.
By Bruce Schreiner
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Californians brace for worst multiday heatwave of the year
Californians are bracing for the first major heatwave of the year, a multiday scorcher that could pose significant threats to public health and sharply heighten wildfire risks. After a notably cooler summer, temperatures are expected to spike across the American south-west starting on Wednesday and extending through the weekend, as severe conditions expand north along the coast into British Columbia by the end of the week. The extreme weather event will create a trio of compounding dangers, with a heightened chance of thunderstorms also predicted alongside the heat and fire risks. The National Weather Service has issued a swath of heat advisories, watches and warnings, along with red-flag alerts, warning the public to prepare. Related: Oregon city that tried to ban homeless encampments agrees to ensure 150 camping spaces 'This dangerous level of heat will pose a threat to anyone without effective cooling and adequate hydration,' NWS forecasters said in an outlook issued Wednesday, outlining temperature highs that could climb past 110F (43C) in the desert south-west and into the 100F's across southern California. Temperatures could break local daily records in Los Angeles and across Arizona. The heat will also linger after the sun sets, offering little reprieve overnight. 'Widespread record warm overnight minimum temperatures' are possible through the west, according to climate scientist Daniel Swain, who shared an analysis of the upcoming event on his website. High nighttime temperatures will add challenges to containing fires that erupt and increase the dangers for people unable to access cooling. 'This heatwave may be most notable for sustained overnight warmth in some cases,' Swain said, 'with minimum temperatures not dropping below 70-80F.' August is typically hot across this region. But for Californians who haven't acclimated to high temperatures this year, the sharp shift could create health challenges. Those facing the greatest hazards will be outdoor workers, unhoused people and vulnerable populations, including children and seniors. Extreme heat, often called a 'silent killer', already ranks as the most lethal weather-related disaster in the US, and deaths are increasing. Fueled by the climate crisis, and often exacerbated by concrete cityscapes that cook when temperatures rise, heatwaves are getting longer, larger and more intense. Many areas that will be affected by this week's heat event were also already primed to burn, including across areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. An extreme lack of moisture across southern California this year has left hillsides parched, overgrown and prone to ignite. But the heat could further cure vegetation, setting the stage for rapid fire growth and extreme behavior, according to the NWS. 'California wildfire risk will likely reach its peak during this event between Thursday and Saturday,' Swain said. While these fires aren't expected to be amplified by strong gusty winds, developing thunderstorms could add erratic breezy conditions and lightning could ignite new blazes. To prepare for the added threats, California's governor Gavin Newsom has pre-deployed resources into high-risk areas, including 32 fire engines, nine water tenders, nine bulldozers, five helicopters, nine hand crews, 13 dispatchers and two incident management teams. It has already been a busy year of fire across the country, and more than 44,400 blazes have ignited, roughly 16% higher than the 10-year average. But there are still months to go before the highest risks typically subside, especially in California where strong Santa Ana winds blow through the autumn months. Solve the daily Crossword
Miami Herald
43 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Everglades fires grow tenfold and burn over 19,000 acres in Broward: officials
The two wildfires burning in the Everglades, prompting an air-quality alert for Broward County, have combined and grown tenfold, burning over 19,000 acres by Wednesday afternoon, according to the Florida Forest Service. There are currently no structures at risk as the fire stems from sawgrass burning. The fire was at 0% containment, as of Wednesday afternoon. The fires, which led the National Weather Service Miami to issue an air-quality alert beginning at 10 p.m. Wednesday and continuing through 9 a.m. Thursday, started on Monday evening, said the FFS. The alert is for the entire county as the winds move the smoke eastward. As of Wednesday morning, the Mile Marker 39 Fire had burned 1,600 acres, and the Sawgrass Fire, 250 acres, the National Weather Service Miami reported. Those two fires combined and burned more than 19,000 acres by Wednesday afternoon. The National Weather Service recommends that vulnerable populations, including people with respiratory conditions, limit their time outdoors. READ MORE: Air-quality alert for Broward issued due to Everglades fires. Smoke moving east The fire is being fueled by northwesterly winds, which are pushing smoke toward Broward and Miami-Dade, said Meteorologist Sammy Hadi with the National Weather Service in Miami. Broward will get the brunt of the smoke; Miami-Dade residents can expect hazy skies and the smell of smoke. 'The smoke from these fires will be blown to the southeast toward Broward and Miami-Dade counties,' Hadi said, adding that skies will remain hazy through the day with 'potential for periods of time with reduced visibility.' Areas in southwest Broward, including Miramar, Pembroke Pines and Weston, are the most affected. But conditions may change in the evening. 'Overnight … the wind will shift more westerly and southwesterly, which could open up more Broward County to smoke,' Hadi said, pointing to Plantation, Tamarac, and Margate as potentially impacted. Hadi explained that smoke tends to linger near the ground in the morning due to an atmospheric inversion, but as winds pick up, the smoke rises. That improves surface-level air quality, though the haze remains noticeable. At North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, visibility got down to two to three miles of visibility in the early morning, said Hadi. At Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, visibility was down to five miles. Visibility will improve as the smoke rises in the afternoon, said Hadi, though shifting wind patterns could change that. Visibility on the roads throughout the night will not be largely impacted, said NWS Miami's meteorologist Anthony Reyes. But motorists who are going west on I-75 near Alligator Alley have to be extra cautious. Hurricane Erin will also come into play as far as how winds will push the smoky air, Hadi explained. 'It will begin to veer as Erin continues to push further away. The wind will shift from a northwesterly direction to a westerly in the southwesterly direction.'
NBC News
44 minutes ago
- NBC News
Dangerous heat and wildfire conditions take hold across the West
LAS VEGAS — Intense heat will blanket much of the West this week, with temperatures in some states expected to soar to record-breaking highs, elevating the risk of dangerous wildfires and heat-related illness and death. Highs on Wednesday could reach into the triple digits in Southern California, while temperatures in parts of Arizona and Nevada will climb over 110 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). High temperatures are not uncommon in the summer, but climate change is making heat waves more frequent, more intense and longer lasting. The situation in the West is yet another example of how extreme heat compounds other threats, like adverse health effects. This week's heat wave will worsen already-hot conditions in the desert Southwest and expand across most of California, exacerbating ongoing wildfires and increasing the risk of new ones taking hold.
