Tornadoes Leave Deadly Path of Destruction in Three U.S. States

Photo: Reuters

The death toll from tornadoes and other storms recorded over the weekend in the southern United States rose to at least 21 dead, officials said Monday, as the severe weather moves eastward across the country.

Since Saturday, tornadoes have ripped through the region known as the Great Plains in the southern part of the country, starting in northern Texas and moving eastward through Arkansas and Oklahoma. Many buildings and infrastructure were destroyed in its path.

Inclement weather is advancing toward the Atlantic Ocean coast. “Significant thunderstorms” and possible “isolated tornadoes” are expected Monday afternoon from the Great Lakes region to the southeastern part of the country, according to the latest U.S. Weather Service (NWS) report.

On Saturday alone, the NWS counted 25 tornadoes.

On Sunday afternoon, several tornadoes struck rural western Kentucky, according to the NWS. Because of this, “trees fell on many roads, making it impossible to travel” through the region.

According to the website poweroutage.us, some 165,000 homes are without power in this state and more than 500,000 across the Great Plains region.

Four people died after several tornadoes in Kentucky, Governor Andy Beshear announced Monday during a press conference in which he specified that one of them swept through this east-central state a swath of at least 65 kilometers.

In addition to the victims in Kentucky, eight people died in Arkansas, seven in Texas and two in Oklahoma over the weekend.

Impressive images from tornado chasers in the region show how these whirlwinds descending from the sky throw sections of rooftops into the air and cause short circuits that generate sparks in power lines.

Rescue efforts and emergency services continued in the region.

Due to storms in the area, in Indiana, the start of the famed IndyCar Indianapolis 500 Mile race was delayed four hours on Sunday and the crowd was urged to leave the grandstands and seek shelter.