Severe storms and tornadoes devastate US states

Editor’s Note: This page is a summary of severe weather news for Monday, May 27. For the most up-to-date weather news, see our file for Tuesday, May 28.

The wave of severe storms that left at least 22 people dead in four states over the holiday weekend reached the mid-Atlantic coast and the Northeast on Monday evening, but is expected to ease by midday Tuesday, giving way to sunny skies and highs around 80 degrees Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius).

If only the southern part of the country were so lucky.

The high summer temperatures that dried out the broad swath from southern Texas to all of Florida on Memorial Day are expected to persist for several more days, the National Weather Service said.

An upper-level high is expected to “trigger a dangerous early-season heat wave across southern Texas, the central Gulf Coast, and southern Florida,” the weather service said. “Temperatures will reach or approach record highs, and heat index values above 115 degrees Fahrenheit are also possible in these regions.”

Parts of Texas and the Mid-South are still reeling from the devastating weekend. At least eight people died in Arkansas, seven in Texas, five in Kentucky and two in Oklahoma in tornadoes and storms that destroyed hundreds of homes, authorities said. Meanwhile, a Colorado rancher and 34 of his cattle were killed in a lightning strike.

As of 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time Monday, more than 280,000 homes and businesses were without power, most of them in an area stretching from Missouri and Arkansas in the west to Virginia and Georgia in the east. Kentucky had by far the most outages, more than 98,000.

Developments:

∎ A tornado warning was in effect for parts of Washington, DC, Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina until 11 p.m. Monday, the National Weather Service announced via X.

∎ The weather service issued a severe weather warning for New York City, northeastern New Jersey and the lower Hudson Valley until 9 p.m. Monday as thunderstorms and showers moved in from the southwest.

∎ Storms that swept through New York on Monday caused hours-long delays in air travel as nearly 44 million people were expected to travel during the holiday. At LaGuardia Airport, planes were delayed an average of one hour and 40 minutes Monday afternoon, while traffic at Newark Airport was delayed an average of 3 hours and 27 minutes, according to the FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center.

Seven deaths reported in Texas, including two children

Texas Governor Greg Abbott confirmed Sunday that seven people were killed and at least 100 injured in the state when tornadoes and other severe weather struck northern Texas, about 70 miles north of Fort Worth.

Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington said two children, ages 2 and 5, were among the fatalities.

A tornado swept through southern Cooke County and parts of Denton County Saturday night, Sappington told local news station WFAA. He said between 60 and 80 people sought shelter from the storm at a travel center.

“It took us quite a while to get back there because the power lines were so damaged and trees were down,” he said.

At least 200 houses and buildings were destroyed and 120 damaged, Abbott said. The tornado crossed an area of about 80 square kilometers in Texas. He would be “shocked” if the number of deaths did not rise as the damage assessment continues.

The damage came days after another wave of tornadoes wreaked havoc in Central Texas, downing power lines and destroying roofs. “The hopes and dreams of Texas families and small businesses have literally been shattered by storm after storm,” Abbott said. A disaster declaration issued by Abbott earlier this month now covers 106 counties.

Abbott said search and rescue missions were underway and several disaster relief organizations were sending volunteers to help those affected.

Arkansas reports eight deaths, two deaths in Oklahoma

At least eight people died in Arkansas when a tornado swept through the northwest of the state. The weather service confirmed Sunday evening that it had seen damage from an EF-3 tornado near the city of Decatur, about 10 miles east of the Oklahoma border.

A preliminary EF-2 tornado was later confirmed in Paragould near the state’s northeast border, the weather service said on X Monday.

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an emergency executive order on Sunday to provide $250,000 in disaster relief.

“I think people just need to be very patient and understand that we’re not going to recover from this overnight,” said Arkansas Rep. Steve Womack.

In Oklahoma, two people died in the city of Pryor, about 80 kilometers east of Tulsa, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management confirmed. About 8,400 people were without power due to the storms.

A tornado in Claremore in the northeast of the state caused “significant, widespread damage,” including “downed trees, power lines and significant damage to homes,” said city manager John Feary. The storms injured 23 people in the city, including three with life-threatening injuries, Feary said.

The Red Cross also opened two emergency shelters in the area following the storm.

Five dead in Kentucky

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency early Monday after at least five people died in severe storms in Louisville on Sunday afternoon. One person is “fighting for his life,” Beshear said at a news conference.

After the initial death toll from the storm reached four, the governor told CNN that a fifth person died during the cleanup effort because he overheated and suffered a heart attack. “This was certainly a devastating series of storms for Kentucky,” Beshear said.

Among the dead were a 67-year-old woman from Mercer County, a 62-year-old woman from Hardin County, a 48-year-old woman from Hopkins County and a 34-year-old man from Jefferson County.

The National Weather Service confirmed at least one tornado in Mayfield, near the southwestern corner of the state. In a press conference, Beshear said the tornado traveled about 40 miles. Some twisters “spun off and then back up,” he added.

The storm hit the western part of the state hardest, causing damage to highways and roads, among other things, said Kentucky Transportation Secretary Jim Gray.

One of the storm’s “most significant impacts” was a fuel leak caused when a dock broke loose at Dale Hollow Lake, a reservoir on the Tennessee border. Beshear said the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection had dispatched a hazardous materials team to assess the situation.

Rancher killed in lightning strike in Colorado

Severe thunderstorms swept across the central United States over the weekend, and a lightning strike in Rand, Colorado, about 80 miles northwest of Denver, killed a rancher and 34 of his cattle on Saturday, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said.

Mike Morgan, 51, was struck while feeding his cattle, authorities said in a news release. Morgan, of Walden, Colorado, was pronounced dead at the scene, “despite life-saving efforts by bystanders and emergency responders,” the news release said.

“Personally, Mike Morgan was an outstanding member of the community and will be greatly missed,” Meghan Rickels, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office, said in an email to USA TODAY.

What to do in case of a tornado warning:How to stay safe at home, outside and in the car

Storm expected to move east on Memorial Day

The storm is expected to weaken as it moves across the East Coast and Southeast on Monday, but some damaging wind gusts are still expected and there is a risk of isolated tornadoes.

Parts of Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina were placed under tornado warnings through Monday evening. A flood warning was issued for the District of Columbia early Monday.

Up to 5 centimeters of rain and “localized flash flooding” were possible in New York, as several severe thunderstorms are expected to move through the New York metropolitan area through Monday evening, according to the weather service.

According to the National Weather Service, stormy weather, including isolated severe thunderstorms, is expected to return to central Texas and some parts of Oklahoma Monday afternoon and continue through the night.

A severe weather warning was also issued for parts of Georgia and South Carolina until Monday afternoon – hail up to 2.5 centimeters in size and one or two tornadoes are expected in the region, the weather service said.

Related Posts

Woman goes to prison after her son dies of an overdose, girl is sexually abused in a hotel

This attitude will certainly raise eyebrows.

31 day alert in effect overnight Wednesday for damaging wind, hail and tornado threats | News