Memorial Day Storms Kill 22: Severe Weather Alert

TL/DR –

Over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, a string of storms across the central and southern U.S. resulted in at least 22 deaths and widespread damage to homes and businesses. The storms, which coincided with a heat wave that set records from south Texas to Florida, caused deaths in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kentucky. Over 400,000 customers across the eastern U.S. were without power on Monday, and severe weather alerts were in place for several states from Alabama to New York.

Powerful Storms Sweep over U.S. Over Memorial Day Weekend

A series of destructive storms moved across the central and southern U.S. during the Memorial Day weekend, claiming at least 22 lives and causing extensive destruction and power outages. The severe storms resulted in fatalities in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kentucky, coinciding with an early-season heat wave setting records from south Texas to Florida.

Forecasters predicted the severe weather could transition to the East Coast, warning holidaying outdoor enthusiasts to keep a close eye on the weather. A tornado watch was announced from North Carolina to Maryland.

Kentucky Governor, Andy Beshear, reported a state emergency, with five fatalities in Kentucky alone. The death toll includes seven lives lost in a Saturday tornado through a Cooke County, Texas mobile home park, and two fatalities in Mayes County, Oklahoma.

The small Kentucky town of Charleston was particularly affected, with many homes destroyed and a total power blackout. The rural areas of Hopkins County, which were damaged by a 2021 tornado, were again affected on Sunday night, a situation Emergency Management Director Nick Bailey described as heartbreaking.

The Governor has made several visits to the area where his father grew up to hand over keys for new homes to tornado victims. This follows a series of tornadoes in December 2021 that claimed 81 lives in Kentucky.

By Monday afternoon, over 400,000 customers across the eastern U.S. were without power, including around 125,000 in Kentucky. According to PowerOutage.us, twelve states had reported at least 10,000 outages earlier in the day.

President Joe Biden offered condolences to the affected families, noting that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is assessing the damages to determine needed federal support.

The recent string of tornadoes and severe weather in the nation’s midsection has been attributed to a persistent pattern of warm, moist air. With climate change contributing to the severity of storms globally, April saw the second-highest number of tornadoes in the U.S. history.

For more information on the recent tornado reports, visit the Associated Press Tornado Tracker.

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