A powerful storm that unleashed a destructive tornado in the St. Louis area on Friday has killed at least five people and injured at least 10 more, local officials confirmed.

The deadly storm is part of a severe weather system that tore through the Midwest and Great Lakes, following an earlier round of tornadoes and violent weather on Thursday.

Ten patients are being treated at St. Louis Children’s Hospital, with one in critical condition, hospital spokesperson Laura High told CNN.

“This is truly a lot of damage,” said St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer. Several buildings collapsed, and “a lot of roofs are missing.”

St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson said the city’s firehouse had nearly all of its windows blown out. Roughly 20 blocks were affected by storm damage.

About 500 first responders are working overnight to search the damaged areas.

“This is going to be a very exhausting and extensive search pattern right now,” Jenkerson said.
“Our priority is life and saving lives and keeping people safe tonight,” Mayor Spencer added.

She urged residents to stay off the roads and limit phone usage due to spotty cell service. A 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew was enacted in two police districts. Officials are also moving to declare a state of emergency. Cleanup efforts will be significant, she said.

Some tornado sirens reportedly failed to go off and will be investigated, according to Emergency Management Commissioner Sarah Russell. For now, she said, the focus remains on saving lives.

The National Weather Service had warned of an “extremely dangerous tornado” moving through parts of St. Louis.

Broad Threat Across Eastern U.S.

Friday’s severe storms followed a day of extreme weather, with long-track tornadoes and hurricane-force winds affecting millions in the eastern U.S. Hundreds of thousands remain without power, especially in Missouri, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana.

This system is part of a multi-day severe weather outbreak expected to last into early next week.

What’s Next: Storm Forecast Highlights

• Severe Storm Risk: Around 9 million people from Missouri to Kentucky faced a level 4-of-5 severe weather threat Friday, with large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes likely.
• High Wind Damage: The National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky, warned of an “exceptionally volatile environment,” with winds over 75 mph expected.
• Storm Impacts So Far: Nearly 400,000 power outages were reported across the Midwest on Friday night. Dodge County, Wisconsin, was especially hard-hit, with significant damage and at least one injury.

Explosive Thunderstorms Reignite

After morning storms moved through Arkansas to Kentucky, the atmosphere reloaded for another wave of severe thunderstorms by Friday afternoon.

“A regional outbreak of severe thunderstorms is likely this afternoon into tonight,” warned the Storm Prediction Center.

More than 70 million people across the eastern U.S. were under a level 2-of-5 severe weather risk, with the greatest danger for EF3+ tornadoes centered over the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys.

“All severe weather hazards are on the table,” warned the NWS in Louisville. “A few strong tornadoes and instances of very large hail are possible.”

Initial storms posed the highest tornado and hail threat, especially from Texas to Illinois. As the storms form lines later in the evening, the wind risk will increase—potentially affecting hundreds of miles with gusts stronger than 75 mph.

Nighttime Tornado Threat

The risk remains especially dangerous overnight in Kentucky and eastern regions, as nighttime tornadoes are nearly twice as deadly as daytime ones, according to a 2022 study.

High Winds Hit D.C., Maryland, Virginia

Severe weather also swept across the DMV region Friday. One person was killed after a tree fell on a car on the George Washington Memorial Parkway in Virginia, U.S. Park Police reported.

Wind gusts topped 70 mph in D.C. and Baltimore, where a tornado warning was briefly in effect. Over 154,000 outages were reported Friday night across the region.

Damage Across the Midwest

At least 11 tornadoes struck Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan Thursday. Dodge County, Wisconsin, saw heavy damage and issued shelter-in-place orders. One person was hospitalized in Juneau.

“There may have been another minor injury or two that occurred,” Sheriff Dale Schmidt said.

Multiple roads are blocked by fallen trees and power lines. Several homes were damaged, and one house lost its roof—though everyone inside got out safely.

A hurricane-force gust of 79 mph was recorded at Chicago’s Navy Pier on Lake Michigan.

Western Michigan also suffered widespread damage. In Allegan County, storms downed trees and power lines. Martin Township reported a “vast amount of damage,” with no injuries. Fire crews responded to 34 calls overnight.

Over 300,000 homes and businesses across four Midwest states were still without power Friday afternoon—more than 200,000 of them in Michigan.

Consumers Energy said power restoration assessments are ongoing.

More Storms to Come

Saturday brings continued risk of severe storms in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Damaging winds and hail are likely, and a tornado can’t be ruled out.

New storms could also strike the southern Plains starting Saturday afternoon, with Oklahoma and Kansas facing more severe weather through Sunday and Monday. The threat shifts back to the Mississippi Valley by Tuesday.

More specific details on these upcoming threats will become clearer in the coming days.

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