Deadly storms sweep the Midwest and South, killing 28 and levelling towns in Kentucky and beyond
Tornadoes swept through Kentucky, Missouri, and Virginia over the weekend, causing widespread destruction and killing 28 people. Kentucky tornado deaths were the highest, with Laurel County hardest hit, as homes were flattened and thousands left displaced in one of the region’s deadliest weather outbreaks in years.
Kentucky bore the worst of the chaos. At least 19 people were killed, most of them in the rural reaches of Laurel County. What was once a tight-knit neighbourhood in London is now a splintered wasteland of broken wood, mangled cars, and ruined lives.
“It happened so fast,” said Jeff Wyatt, 54, standing amid the wreckage of the house he called home for 17 years. As the tornado tore through on Friday, Wyatt, his wife, and two of their children barely had time to shelter in a hallway before the roof and family room vanished above their heads. “If we had been there 10 seconds longer, we would have been gone with the family room.”
On Sunday, residents returned to the ruins under grey skies to salvage whatever they could. Wyatt’s family picked through the remains, collecting old photos and baby blankets. Around the corner, Edwina Wilson clutched a water-damaged photograph she pulled from the rubble of what used to be her home. Family friend Melvin Brock helped her search, lifting a wooden beam to reveal a picture frame.
The National Weather Service warned that this deadly system is far from over. Meteorologists expect a “multi-day” outbreak of severe weather stretching across the country’s midsection. Thunderstorms, torrential rain, large hail, and more tornadoes are likely in Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Nebraska.
On Sunday afternoon, a “large and extremely dangerous” tornado touched down near Mingus, Texas, 70 miles west of Fort Worth. The twister tore through Palo Pinto County, levelling parts of the landscape. Although no casualties were immediately reported, the threat is mounting, with hail the size of tennis balls forecast for parts of the region.
Missouri saw its own horror unfold late Friday. Seven people were killed as the same storm front barrelled through the state, ripping apart communities and flipping vehicles like toys. Two more died in northern Virginia, struck by falling trees.
The system was powerful enough to generate tornadoes as far north as Wisconsin, stir up choking dust storms in Illinois, and bake Texas under punishing heat.
Back in London, Kentucky, 22-year-old Zach Wilson stood amid the chaos, fearing what might come next. His parents’ home was destroyed. What’s left—clothes, books, furniture—was scattered across the yard like confetti. “I’m terrified another storm will come and finish what the first one didn’t,” he said. “If I could tell anyone one thing, it’s to take the National Weather Service seriously. Every warning matters.”
The weather service expects severe conditions to return to Kentucky by Monday and intensify on Tuesday. The forecasts have residents bracing again, many of whom now sleep in friends’ basements, hotels, or emergency shelters.
Ryan VanNorstran, who was house-sitting for his brother on Keavy Road, spent Friday night crouched in a first-floor closet with two large dogs. “The sound was unreal,” he said. “You could feel the walls shaking.”
Governor Andy Beshear confirmed the rising death toll and called for federal disaster aid. “This has been one of the most heartbreaking weekends in our state’s history,” he said.
As power crews restore electricity and families sort through debris, a deep sense of dread lingers. With more storms on the way, the battle for survival is far from over.
