More than 25 people have died after powerful storms and tornadoes hit parts of Kentucky, Missouri, and Virginia. Homes were destroyed, trees were torn down, and nearly 200,000 people were left without power.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said on X that at least 18 people had died in the storms Friday night, while local officials in Missouri said another seven were dead there.
Two people were also killed by falling trees in Virginia, local media reported.
Beshear added that more than 100,000 people have been left without power in the state, and five counties have declared a state of emergency.
In Missouri, five people were killed in the major city of St. Louis, in what authorities said was one of the worst storms in its history, and two in Scott County, the State Highway Patrol said in a statement.
More than 80,000 people were left without power and three shelters were opened in the area, the statement added. More severe weather was forecast for Sunday night and Monday.
St. Louis, Mayor Cara Spencer said 38 people in the city were injured and some 5,000 buildings were damaged.
An estimated 500 of the 4,200 NWS employees have been fired or taken early retirement this year, according to The Washington Post.
The United States saw the second-highest number of tornadoes on record last year with nearly 1,800, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), trailing only 2004.
