More Than Two Dozen People Die In Severe Weather, Authorities Say

No fewer than 23 people have died as storm systems swept through parts of the Midwest and South, the Associated Press reported.

At least 14 of the casualties died in Kentucky, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear announced early Saturday. Beshear declared a state of emergency Friday before the “severe weather system generating heavy rain, intense damaging and straight-line winds, hail and tornadoes” struck the state. Over 100,000 people were without power Saturday morning, according to Beshear.

He expressed concern that the death toll could climb. Hours later, it had risen to 18, he said. Seventeen of the dead were from Laurel County, with its county seat of London ravaged. He said he consulted with local leaders, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and the Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA).

The Laurel County Fire Department announced Saturday that it lost one of its veterans, Major Leslie Roger Leatherman. “He was fatally injured during his response to the devastating tornado in Laurel County overnight,” the fire department said.

London resident Kayla Patterson and her family hid in their basement, the AP reported.

“You could literally hear just things ripping in the distance, glass shattering everywhere, just roaring like a freight train,” she told the AP Saturday. “It was terrible.”

The family’s home was spared, but the neighborhood was strewn with debris from demolished nearby homes, the AP reported.

Damage from a tornado is seen in London, Kentucky, on May 17, 2025. More than 20 people have died after severe storms swept through the southern US states of Missouri and Kentucky, officials and local media reports said May 17, 2025. Kentucky governor Andy Beshear said on X that at least 14 people had died in Friday night’s storms. At least seven people were killed in Missouri, the Washington Post reported. (Photo by Allison Joyce / AFP) (Photo by ALLISON JOYCE/AFP via Getty Images)

The National Weather Service (NWS) did not confirm to the AP that what struck Kentucky was a tornado, but NWS meteorologist Philomon Geertson told the outlet that it was likely a tornado. The NWS had warned of likely tornadoes and hail for parts of Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri. It also issued a severe thunderstorm warning for areas including the National Capital Region, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. (RELATED: ‘The Worst I’ve Ever Seen’: Dozens Dead Across Six States After Extreme Weather Causes Tornadoes, Wildfires, Dust Storms)

At least 24 people died in storms that swept through the state two months ago, the AP reported. Some victims still needed a deadline extension to apply for disaster unemployment aid following those storms as of Friday.

Five people were killed and 38 injured in St. Louis, Mo. according to the St. Louis Police Department. The police called for prayers for the city and added that it would work around the clock to respond to emergencies.

Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe said he was “deeply saddened” by the news of the deaths and injuries. Thanking emergency responders, he urged compliance with weather warnings and local advice.

Some 5,000 buildings were destroyed, and 70,000 people were without power, St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said.

A “devastating tornado” swept through Scott County, Mo., killing two persons, injuring several others, and rendering several areas damaged and unrecognizable, the Scott County Sheriff’s Office said Friday.

Two people were killed in separate incidents in northern Virginia when a tree fell on each of their cars, NBC 4 Washington reported.

The NWS Chicago office issued the city’s first-ever dust storm warning Friday, adding that gusts whipped up by thunderstorms in central Illinois collected dust from dry farmlands as they swept northward into Chicago.

The severe weather events followed a reported announcement by the NWS’ parent body, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, that it would no longer track extreme weather events driven by climate change.

FEMA, facing cuts and possible elimination, doubted its readiness for hurricane season in June, CBS reported.