Tornado-spawning thunderstorms that swept the U.S. Southern Plains and Ozarks killed at least 21 people as of Monday morning.
These storms across four states wrecked hundreds of buildings, as forecasters warned of more severe weather.
The death toll over the Memorial Day weekend includes at least eight fatalities in Arkansas. Texas reported seven deaths, Kentucky four, and and Oklahoma two.
The death toll from tornadoes and severe weather ripping through multiple US states has risen to 21. @jekearsley #9News pic.twitter.com/FfB7Im2BUp
— 9News Australia (@9NewsAUS) May 27, 2024
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency early on Monday.
“It was a tough night for our people,” Beshear said on social media platform X on Monday.
“Devastating storms” had severely damaged power lines, state highways and roads, he said later at a press conference. In some areas, restoring power could take days, he added.
At least seven people perished and nearly 100 were injured on Saturday when a powerful tornado struck north Texas.
Governor Greg Abbott said two children aged 2 and 5 from a single family were among those killed.
Late on Sunday, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the state had at least eight deaths after the thunderstorms.
Hundreds of thousands of Americans faced power outages on Monday due to the weather, according to the PowerOutage.US tracking website. Kentucky alone recorded over 180,000 outages.
The National Weather Service issued severe thunderstorm alert for Georgia and South Carolina until at least Monday afternoon, It also warned of additional storms moving through the Ohio and Tennessee valleys.
The latest extreme weather came just days after a powerful tornado ripped through an Iowa town, killing four people, and more twisters touched down in Texas last week.
Meanwhile, the U.S. is preparing for what government forecasters have called a potentially “extraordinary” 2024 Atlantic hurricane season beginning June 1.
(REUTERS)
