The Club PUBlication 05/19/2025

Storms kill 27 over wide swath of U.S.
Death toll likely to rise after severe weather in Midwest, South.
By MICHAEL PHILLIS, COREY WILLIAMS and JOHN HANNA
​The Associated Press

Above . . . Volunteers on Saturday help clean up debris from a road following severe storms Friday nite in London Kentucky.  At least 18 people died in the storms, including a firefighter.

ST. LOUIS -
Storm systems sweeping across parts of the U.S. Midwest and South have left at least 27 people dead, many of them in Kentucky, where what appeared to be a devastating tornado pulverized homes and flipped over a car on an interstate.

In Kentucky, some 18 people were killed by severe weather, and the death toll is likely to rise, according to Gov. Andy Beshear. Local authorities in Laurel County, in the state's southeast, said nine people were killed after a tornado touched down. Authorities announced Saturday afternoon that a firefighter with the Laurel County Fire Department had died after being injured while responding to the deadly weather. The Fire Department did not immediately say how Maj. Roger Leslie Leatherman, a 39-year veteran, was injured or when he died.

Kayla Patterson, her husband and their five children huddled in a tub in their basement in London, the county seat, as the tornado raged around them.

"You could literally hear just things ripping in the distance, glass shattering everywhere, just roaring like a freight train," she recalled Saturday. "It was terrible."

The family eventually emerged to the sounds of sirens and panicked neighbors. While the family's own home was spared, others right behind it were demolished, Patterson said as the sound of power tools buzzed in the background. The neighborhood was dotted with piles of lumber, metal sheeting, insulation and stray belongings — a suitcase, a sofa.

Rescuers were searching for survivors all night and into the morning, the Sheriff's Office said. An emergency shelter was set up at a local high school and donations of food and other necessities were arriving.
The latest Kentucky storms were part of a weather system Friday that killed seven in Missouri and two in northern Virginia, authorities said. The system also spawned tornadoes in Wisconsin, brought a punishing heat wave to Texas and temporarily enveloped parts of Illinois — including Chicago — in a pall of dust on an otherwise sunny day.

In Missouri, St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said five people died, 38 were injured and more than 5,000 homes were affected in her city.
"The devastation is truly heartbreaking," she said at a news conference Saturday. An overnight curfew was to continue in the most damaged neighborhoods.

Weather Service radar indicated a likely tornado touched down between 2:30 p.m. and 2:50 p.m. in Clayton, Mo., in the St. Louis area. The apparent tornado touched down in the area of Forest Park, home to the St. Louis Zoo and the site of the 1904 World's Fair and Olympic Games the same year.

Three people needed aid after part of the Centennial Christian Church crumbled, said St. Louis Fire Battalion Chief William Pollihan.

Stacy Clark said his motherin-law, Patricia Penelton, died in the church. He described her as a very active church volunteer who had many roles, including being part of the choir.

John Randle said he and his girlfriend were at the St. Louis Art Museum during the storm and were hustled into the basement with about 150 other people.

"You could see the doors flying open, tree branches flying by and people running," said Randle, 19.

At the St. Louis Zoo, falling trees severely damaged the roof of a butterfly facility. Staffers quickly corralled most of the butterflies, the zoo said on social media, and a conservatory in suburban Chesterfield is caring for the displaced creatures.
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A tornado struck in Scott County, about 130 miles south of St. Louis, killing two people, injuring several others and destroying multiple homes, Sheriff Derick Wheetley wrote on social media.