Residents inspect their home after a tornado completely tore off the back wall of a two-story house in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S., on May 16, 2025.
Lawrence Bryant | Reuters
At least 21 people were killed when severe weather, including possible tornadoes, swept through parts of Missouri and Kentucky from Friday into Saturday morning, authorities said.
Fourteen were dead in Kentucky, Governor Andy Beshear said on X Saturday morning. “Sadly, this number is expected to grow as we receive more information,” he added.
Laurel County, Kentucky, Sheriff John Root, reported “numerous severe injuries.” He said a tornado touched down late Friday night and that the search for survivors continued.
In Missouri, five were killed in St. Louis County, and two others in Scott County, according to officials.
Speaking at a news conference Friday night, St. Louis officials said over 5,000 homes may have been affected by the outbreak of severe weather.
A spokesperson for both St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Barnes-Jewish Hospital said the facilities have received over 60 patients in total, with the children’s facility getting 15 and Barnes-Jewish seeing around 50 to 60, who were injured as a result of the severe weather. Three of the children’s hospital patients have been admitted, with two in critical condition, while all others have been discharged.
Some of those at Barnes-Jewish were admitted but most have been discharged or will be discharged soon, the spokesperson said.
At the Friday night news conference, Mayor Cara Spencer announced that the number of fatalities has risen from four to five. She had said earlier that two of the dead were killed in North City, where a vortex was reported.
Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson said severe weather hit about 20 square blocks of the city.
St. Louis police spokesperson Mitch McCoy said search-and-rescue operations were carried out with the help of the Missouri State Highway Patrol and surrounding county first responders.
“It’s all hands on deck to rescue as many people as we can and save lives,” he told NBC affiliate KSDK of St. Louis Friday.
The spokesperson said all but two patients at the children’s facility were expected to be released Friday night; one was reported earlier to be in critical condition. Some of those at Barnes-Jewish were to be released, while others were said to be in serious condition, the spokesperson said.
At the late news conference, Mayor Cara Spencer announced that the number of fatalities has risen from four to five. She had said earlier that two of the dead were killed in North City, where a vortex was reported.
A northern swath of the city from Forest Park to the northern boundary was subject of a curfew through 6 a.m., the mayor said.
Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson said severe weather hit about 20 square blocks of the city.
St. Louis police spokesperson Mitch McCoy said search-and-rescue operations were still underway with the help of the Missouri State Highway Patrol and surrounding county first responders.
“It’s all hands on deck to rescue as many people as we can and save lives,” he told NBC affiliate KSDK of St. Louis.
Search crews will find much darkness in the city, with more than 40,000 utility customers in the St. Louis region without power Friday night, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us. Missouri has more than 97,000 customers in the dark, according to the site.
The tornado was reported after 2:30 p.m. in the city near Forest Park and moving east toward Granite City, Illinois, said National Weather Service meteorologist Marshall Pfahler.
Its force level is unlikely to be known until Saturday when weather service spotters are able to get to the scene and measure damage, tracks and other elements of the vortex, he said.
The weather service office that covers St. Louis later said on X, “Damage reports and radar imagery suggest a tornado likely occurred across parts St Louis this afternoon. We will have a survey team on the ground tomorrow to confirm and assign a rating.”
KSDK reported that two tornadoes may have touched down in the region on Friday. The National Weather Service said it was working to confirm the second twister.
The station reported that a man was rescued from the rubble of a home after an hourslong operation. The residence was most likely smashed by a tornado or the severe weather’s associated potent winds in the area Friday, the station said.
Debris lies around damaged houses the morning after a tornado touched down in Florissant, Missouri, U.S. on March 15, 2025, in a drone view.
Lawrence Bryant | Reuters
The station reported that a man was rescued from the rubble of a home after an hourslong operation. The residence was most likely smashed by a tornado or the severe weather’s associated potent winds in the area Friday, the station said.
“Considering the building collapsed on him, he’s doing great,” a fire official said after the man was pulled out.
The man had sought shelter in the home and ended up stuck inside, possibly in a pantry, KSDK said.
Coverage from the region included imagery of a decimated Harlem Tap Room, a historic bar on the city’s north side that has been at the same location for roughly 80 years.
A witness who was in the bar told KSDK that a fellow patron’s warning and the establishment’s flickering lights preceded his move and that of others there to the rear of the building, which he said likely saved lives.
Utility Spire energy, which serves 1.7 million customers in the region, said there is “severe damage” to homes. Video of the damage showed toppled brick walls and downed tree limbs and power lines in the region.
The nearby city of Clayton said its City Hall is closed as it coordinates a response to the severe weather.
In Scott County, Sheriff Derick Wheetley said in a social media post that two people died in a “devastating tornado” there.
“The tornado moved from the eastern part of the county, leaving behind a trail of destruction, with multiple homes completely lost and areas left unrecognizable,” he said.
On Saturday, Kentucky had more than 99,000 customers in the dark according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us, with a further 84,000 across Missouri.
The vortexes were products of a fast-moving low pressure system headed east-northeast from its location over parts of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri, a region under tornado watch until 10 p.m.
The cool, winter-like storm is clashing with a heat wave to the southwest, producing unstable air and eruptions of thunderstorm activity.
Lightning was seen illuminating the sky above central Kentucky on Friday in a video circulating on X.
Severe weather, including 11 unconfirmed tornadoes, was reported Thursday in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois, according to the weather service and NBC News forecasters.
A Beyoncé concert at Chicago’s open-air Soldier Field on Thursday was delayed because of the weather. Spectator video showed a ferocious downpour ahead of the show.
