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 Beshearannouncedearly Saturday. Besheardeclareda 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,accordingto Beshear. Heexpressedconcern that the death toll could climb. Hours later, it had risen to 18, hesaid. Seventeen of the dead were from Laurel County, with its county seat of Londonravaged. He said he consulted withlocal leaders, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem,andthe Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA). The Laurel County Fire DepartmentannouncedSaturday 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 APreported. "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 struckKentuckywas atornado, but NWS meteorologist Philomon Geertson told the outlet that it was likely a tornado. The NWS hadwarnedof likely tornadoes and hail for parts of Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri. It alsoissueda 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 adeadline extensionto apply for disaster unemployment aid following those storms as of Friday. Five people were killed and 38 injured in St. Louis, Mo.according tothe St. Louis Police Department. The policecalledfor prayers for the city and added that it would work around the clock to respond to emergencies. Republican Gov. Mike Kehoesaidhe 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 Spencersaid. 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 OfficesaidFriday. Two people were killed in separate incidents in northern Virginia when a tree fell on each of their cars, NBC 4 Washingtonreported. The NWS Chicago officeissuedthe city's first-ever dust storm warning Friday,addingthat gusts whipped up by thunderstorms in central Illinois collected dust from dry farmlands as they swept northward intoChicago. The severe weather events followed areportedannouncement 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, CBSreported.
