May 26, 2024 Memorial weekend storms | CNN (2024)

A race fan makes a phone call while trying to stay dry during a weather advisory before the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in Indianapolis, Indiana on May 26.

At least 11 tornado reports were recorded on Sunday, and more severe weather is expected on Memorial Day.

Over 120 million people are at risk of severe weather Monday, concentrated over the East Coast, south of New England, where there is a level 2 out of 5 threat.

Storms that swept through Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky on Sunday continue to move east and pose ongoing threats.

Storms projected through Monday are capable of producing severe tornados, large hail, and damaging winds.

The National Weather Service advises residents to be alert and check the forecast overnight and during their Memorial Day plans.

Destroyed homes are seen after a deadly tornado rolled through Valley View, Texas on May 26.

Deadly storms and tornadoes have left hundreds of thousands of customers across 13 states without power late Sunday night.

There are currently more than 642,000 customers in the dark, according to poweroutage.us.

The bulk of the power outages are in Kentucky, where there are nearly 135,000 customers without power.

States experiencing power outages:

U.S. President Joe Biden speaksat the White House in Washington, DC, on May 14.

In a statement Sunday, President Joe Biden sent condolences for the people killed in the weekend storms and “everyone who has been affected,” and he thanked first responders and emergency personnel for their work.

“This comes as communities across the Midwest and South are still reeling from deadly storms and severe weather,” he added.

Federal emergency management officials are conducting damage assessments, and “we stand ready to provide support as needed,” Biden said.

Busch Stadium in St. Louis is seen during a weather delay on May 26.

After an almost two-hour delay due to severe storms in the St. Louis area, the Cardinals game against the Chicago Cubs is estimated to begin at 9:40 p.m. local time Sunday if the weather permits, the team announced.

First pitch was scheduled for 7:10 p.m., but the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for St. Louis and areas south of the city.

Video on social media appeared to show stairwells and the outfield grass flooded at Busch Stadium, where the game is supposed to be played.

This post has been updated.

The severe weather that swept through Arkansas killed at least eight people in the state, Arkansas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Cindy Murphy told CNN Sunday evening. Previously, officials had reported there were at least five deaths in the state.

At least one person died in Boone County, one in Baxter County, three in Benton County and three in Marion County.

The updated toll means the powerful storm system has killed at least 18 people across four states.

According to officials:

8 people were killed in Arkansas

7 people were killed in Texas

2 people were killed in Oklahoma

1 person was killed in Kentucky

A new tornado watch has been issued by the Storm Prediction Center for more than 3 million people living in parts of Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky, including Louisville, Kentucky, and Evansville, Indiana.

The watch is in effect until 1 a.m. CDT Monday.

“Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings,” the prediction center said.

Several tornadoes are possible, along with hail bigger than the size of baseballs and widespread wind gusts reaching up to 85 mph.

This latest watch brings the number of Americans under tornado watches to 6.6 million.

Damage is seen at a truck stop the morning after a tornado on May 26 in Valley View, Texas.

After conducting storm surveys from the tornadoes that struck northern Texas Saturday night, the National Weather Service said initial findings indicate a tornado of at least EF-2 strength struck the city of Valley View.

“Extensive damage was found in Cooke County, primarily south of Valley View near the Cooke/Denton County line, with a preliminary rating of EF-2 with estimated maximum winds of 135 mph,” the weather service said.

Additionally, the survey team said, “Damage found in south Montague County was consistent with an EF-2 tornado with estimated maximum winds of 125 mph.” This tornado was just south of Forestburg, Texas.

Additional details about damage and path length for both tornadoes will be released as the surveys are complete.

Surveys are still ongoing near Pilot Point in Denton County, Celina in Collin County and other areas in north Texas.

“Rating information for the damage in these areas will be released when teams complete their assessments. Complete details including track, length, width and final ratings are expected to be finalized over the next several days,” the weather service said.

A tornado was confirmed by radar in the area of St. Louis, Missouri, and in suburbs south of the city.

A tornado warning had also been issued for the area by the National Weather Service, which advised residents to take cover.

The impacts of this tornado could include flying debris, destruction to mobile homes and severe damage to trees, roofs and vehicles.

A rare “particularly dangerous situation” tornado watch is in effect across several states, warning “several tornadoes and few intense likely.”

The heightened tornado watch covers parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee, including cities like St. Louis and Jefferson City, Missouri, Paducah, Kentucky, and Carbondale, Illinois.

This tornado watch is only issued when there’s unusually high confidence in the potential of multiple at least EF2-strength and long-lived tornadoes in the area, according to the National Weather Service.

And nocturnal tornadoes are often more deadly because it is harder to get warning messages out while people are asleep.

This tornado watch includes about 4.7 million people, bringing the total number of Americans under tornado watches Sunday evening to more than 7 million.

The supercell thunderstorms firing up in the watch area will also be capable of large hail –bigger than the size of baseballs – and damaging wind gusts reaching up to 75 mph.

“Intense supercell thunderstorms will continue to develop across the watch area through this evening. Several tornadoes are likely, some of which are expected to be intense. Very large hail is also likely, along with the risk for potentially significant damaging wind gusts,” the Storm Prediction Center said.

A final round of search and rescue operations are underway in storm-damaged Cooke County, Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday.

“We are making one last round of searches to make sure there is no one missing,” the governor said.

Aid and support has been supplied to those who need immediate assistance by volunteer organizations in the region.

Officials will be working to make damage assessments and are asking residents to report any damage todamage.tdem.texas.gov.

Authorities will soon begin the process of removing debris before they reach the rebuilding stage, Abbott said.

Members of the Busch Stadium grounds crew place a tarp over the field ahead of the game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs on May 26 in St. Louis.

The St. Louis Cardinals game against the Chicago Cubs has been delayed due to severe weather, the teamannouncedon Sunday.

The team added they “will provide updates as they become available.”

The first pitch was scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri.

Vehicles in a body shop are seen amid debris the morning after a tornado rolled through on May 26 in Valley View, Texas.

More than a third of all Texas counties are under a disaster declaration after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a declaration for four additional counties on Sunday.

The new declaration affects Denton, Collin, Cooke and Montague counties, bringing the total to 106 counties in the state.

The storms have claimed the lives of seven people in the state, including four children, and at least 100 people have been injured, Abbott said.

Deadly storms and likely tornadoes striking the central US have left hundreds of thousands of customers without power in at least nine states as of early Sunday evening.

At around 5:45 p.m. ET, nearly half a million customers were in the dark, according to the tracking website poweroutage.us:

A new tornado watch has been issued for 1.5 million people living in parts of Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

The watch lasts until 9 p.m. CT (10 p.m. ET) and includes the cities of Springfield, Branson, and Joplin in Missouri, and Fayetteville, Arkansas, among others.

Supercell thunderstorms are starting to fire up and could be capable of producing a couple tornadoes, scattered large hail up to the size of tennis balls, and damaging wind gusts moving up to 70 mph, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

The new watch brings the total number of Americans under tornado watches to 3.6 million.

One person is dead in Kentucky after ferocious storms struck the central US over the weekend, according to Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg.

In a post on X, Greenberg said that he was “sad to report we’ve had one fatality following the severe weather that just moved through the area and some structural damage reported.”

“Please join me in holding this family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time — may their memory be a blessing,” the mayor wrote.

Rising death toll: The Louisville death brings the national death toll up to at least 15 storm-related deaths during the severe weather Saturday into Sunday, with deaths also coming in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma.

Storm damage is seen at a shopping center in Rogers, Arkansas, on May 26.

The death toll from severe weather that swept through Arkansas is now at least five, according to local officials.

Arkansas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Cindy Murphy told CNN about an additional storm-related death that occurred in Boone County.

Previously, officials had confirmed four deaths due to the severe weather overnight Saturday into Sunday.

According to Arkansas officials:

Murphy said 11 counties in Arkansas saw impacts from the storms, which hit the northern part of the state.

Rising death toll: The additional death reported in Arkansas bring this weekend’s storm-related death toll to at least 14 people across three states.

Officials say seven were killed in Texas, including four children, and two people were killed in Oklahoma.

Survey teams from the National Weather Service found more severe damage in Claremore, Oklahoma, indicating the tornado there was at least a category EF3.

EF3 tornadoes pack winds of 136 to 165 mph. The damage was found north of Highway 20, east of the city.

The rating is still preliminary. Additional damage details and path length will be released once the surveys are complete.

Glass and debris are seen at OZ Smokehouse in Rogers, Arkansas, on May 26. A tornado the previous night caused extensive damage to the downtown area.

The severe weather sweeping through the central United States has now killed at least four people in Arkansas.

Two people died in a storm that tracked through Marion County early Sunday, Sheriff Gregg Alexander said in a news release. The victims’ identities have yet to be released, pending the notification of family members.

Another person died in Baxter County, located about 25 miles to the east, according to anews releasefrom the sheriff’s office there.

Earlier today, an official reported one storm-related death in Benton County, near Arkansas’ border with Oklahoma.

Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced a state of emergency Sunday afternoon in response to the deadly storms.

Rising death toll: The three additional deaths in Arkansas bring this weekend’s storm-related death toll up to at least 13 people across three states.

Officials say seven were killed in Texas, including four children, and two people were killed in Oklahoma.

Storm damage in Sikeston, Missouri, where officials say they are working to restore power after severe weather downed power lines overnight.

The deadly storms that struck parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas overnight Saturday into Sunday are now causing mass power outages as they make their way east.

Around 2:40 p.m. ET, 477,748 customers were without power across seven states, according to the tracking websitepoweroutage.us:

A tornado of at least EF2 strength struck Claremore, Oklahoma, overnight, according to initial reports from the National Weather Service in Tulsa.

EF2 tornadoes pack winds of 111 to 135 mph and are often responsible for strong damage.

“Survey continues and the rating is subject to change,” the National Weather Service notes in a post on X. Additional details about damage and the tornado’s path length will be released as the service completes its surveys.

The tornado left 23 people injured in Claremore, a city of about 20,000 people in northeastern Oklahoma. Two people were killed in nearby Pryor. The area is also experiencing power outages and property damage from the severe storms.

Destroyed homes are seen in Valley View, Texas, on May 26, after a tornado the previous night.

A total of seven people were killed in the town of Valley View in Cooke County, Texas, when severe storms struck the area Saturday night, Sheriff Ray Sappington told CNN.

Authorities previously said five people had been killed in Valley View. Officials then discovered the bodies of two children, ages 2 and 5, on Sunday, according to Sappington. Two other juveniles were among those killed in the storms, he added.

Three of the deaths occurred in one household, the sheriff told CNN on Sunday morning.

Cooke County is in northern Texas, along the state’s border with Oklahoma. The small town of Valley View has a population of just under 800 people.

Rising death toll: The updated figures from Texas bring the death toll from the storms overnight Saturday into Sunday to at least 10, according to officials in three states.

At least two people have died in Oklahoma, and one in Arkansas, authorities said earlier Sunday.

President Joe Biden has been briefed on the tornado-spawning storms that struck the central United States overnight, a White House official told CNN, adding that the president’s team will continue to keep him updated.

At least eight people, including children, were killed by the storms, according to officials in three states. The severe weather also caused power outages and forced residents to shelter in place.

More than 110 million people across parts of the US remain under threat of strong storms Sunday.

Storm damage is seen in Mayfield, Kentucky, on May 26.

The storms that tore through the central US on Saturday night downed trees and damaged property in Mayfield, Kentucky.

Graves County Emergency Management Director Tracy Warner tells CNN that no one was injured or killed.

Five to six homes were damaged, some trees are down county-wide, and power lines snapped, according to Warner. Images from the community show a damaged gas station overhang and a tree blocking a road.

Storm damage is seen in Mayfield, Kentucky, on May 26.

Currently, about 7,500 people are without power in Graves County, Warner said. Volunteer fire crews are clearing roads, while state highway patrol and county road crews work to clear the bigger trees.

Graves County is located on Kentucky’s southwestern border with Tennessee.

Fans exit the grandstands after a serve thunderstorm warning was issued at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana on May 26.

Fans are being asked to leave the pre-race ceremonies at the Indianapolis 500 because of “the proximity of lightning” moving toward the speedway.

Attendees are being ushered away from the grandstands and Snake Pit music festival, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway said in a post on X.

The highly-anticipated race will also be delayed, according to organizers. It was originally scheduled to start at 12:45 p.m. ET. A new starting time has not yet been announced.

A field of 33 drivers are set to compete for 200 laps and 500 miles — including 2023 champ Josef Newgarden.

Storms that slammed parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas overnight Saturday into Sunday are now causing mass power outages as they make their way east.

Around 11:50 a.m. ET, 393,501 customers were without power across six states, according to the tracking websitepoweroutage.us:

This screen grab from a CNN affiliate video shows storm damage in Claremore, Oklahoma, on May 26.

Two people were killed and over 20 were injured by severe storms that tore through northeast Oklahoma Saturday night, according to local authorities.

The Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed two people died in the city of Pryor, located in Mayes County, due to the overnight storms.

In the city of Claremore, 17 miles away from Pryor, 23 people were injured, including three with “potentially critical or life-threatening injuries,” Claremore City Manager John Feary said. The storm took down electrical substations and badly damaged multiple buildings in the surrounding Rogers County.

According to Feary, all four substations are down in Claremore, but officials anticipate having some power back Sunday — at least enough to power both hospitals and the water treatment plant.

Gas stations are not operating in the city, and crews are still working to assess the damage, he added.

About 7,400 Oklahoma utility customers were without power as of 10:30 a.m. local time (11:30 a.m. ET), according to poweroutage.us. The outages are mostly in Rogers and Mayes counties.

Rising death toll: The news from Oklahoma brings the death toll from overnight storms and likely tornadoes to at least eight people across three states.

At least five people have died in Texas and one person has died in Arkansas, according to local officials.

A new tornado watch is in effect for southern Indiana, central Kentucky, and western and middle Tennessee until 4 p.m. ET (3 p.m. CT), according to the Storm Prediction Center.

The watch impacts 6.8 million people and includes Louisville, Nashville and Knoxville.

A line of strong thunderstorms with a history of producing severe weather continues to move east into the area, prompting this new watch.

These storms are also capable of producing scattered large hail and some isolated, very large hail of up to 2 inches in diameter — the size of a golf ball.

There are power outages in five states following severe storms in the central US over Memorial Day weekend, according to poweroutage.us.

Here’s where customers are experiencing outages as of just after 10 a.m. ET Sunday:

This screen grab from a video shows wreckage at a campground near Claremore, Oklahoma.

One storm chaser documented the wreckage of a campground in Claremore, Oklahoma, devastated by a likely tornado over the weekend.

The campground was full of Memorial Day vacationers when the storm struck, the photographer, Brian Emfinger, told CNN. “The tornado just went right through it,” he said.

When he arrived to the “horrible scene,” there were a “tremendous” amount of search-and-rescue workers on site, he said. Some people took shelter in a nearby structure, he said.

“I did see multiple search-and-rescues where people were just trapped in their campers and RVs,” he said. “There were some that were destroyed, some that were tipped over.”

Watch some of Emfinger’s video below:

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02:37 - Source: cnn

A longtime town hamburger stand is pictured in Rogers, Arkansas, on May 26. The building was destroyed by a tornado the previous night.

At least one person is dead after suspected tornadoes hit northwest Arkansas overnight, and emergency medical services have received more than 20 additional calls, according to officials.

The person who died was in eastern Benton County, according to the county’s administrator of public safety, Robert T. McGowen.

Barry Moehring, county judge, said at a news conference that several people have been hurt.

According to Bentonville Mayor Stephanie Orman, crews are working to respond to power outages and emergency medical calls.

“We have crews mobilized throughout the city. We have power lines down — about 10,000 probably out with power. We’ve got trees across roads. We’re really encouraging individuals to stay off the roads as we try to clean up those road systems. We also have signals down,” Orman said.

Bentonville Fire Chief Justin Scantlin said crews were responding to emergencies throughout the night, andare now methodically searching street-by-street to check on people.

CNN’s Travis Nichols contributed to this report.

Damage is seen at a truck stop in Valley View, Texas, on May 26, the morning after a tornado.

At least five people, including children, are dead after a possible tornado struck Texas overnight, as severe storms caused power outages and forced residents to shelter in place across the central United States on Memorial Day weekend.

The five fatalities were reported in Cooke County, Texas, and three occurred in one household, Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington told CNN on Sunday morning. Two children in the area were reported missing and are still unaccounted for as of Sunday morning.

More than 110 million people across broad swaths of the US are under threat of large hail, damaging winds and fiercetwistersSunday, mainly throughout the mid-Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee River valleys.

Inside a Shell gas station, 60 to 80 people were trapped until the storm blew over, Sappington said. Multiple injuries were reported at the station, but none were life-threatening, he added.

Many vehicles were damaged and destroyed, leaving about 40 people stranded. They were transported by bus to another gas station in Gainesville, where they were picked up by family members.

Damage elsewhere: In north Denton County, Texas, a possible tornado injured an unknown number of people, damaged several homes, overturned 18-wheelers, downed trees and knocked out power lines on Saturday night, authorities said early Sunday.

Damage to several homes was also reported in the neighboring city of Celina.

Across state lines, officials said a possible tornado swept through Rogers County, Oklahoma, downing power lines and trees and damaging homes. In the city of Claremore, officials said there was “a lot of damage” and electricity will be out for much of the city “for an extended period of time.”

Dangerous storms and searing heat willcontinue affecting vast portions of the United States this Memorial Day weekend and could disrupt outdoor plans and travel.

A near-record number of people will travel this weekend in what could be the busiest period in nearly two decades, according to AAA.

Travelers will have to contend with a hazardous and disruptive multi-day severe thunderstorm event with damaging winds, dangerous hail and strong tornadoes. It is expected to unfold this weekend in portions of the central, southern and eastern US.

Severe weather has been unrelenting in May, but hit an even morefrenetic pacethis week. Nearly 850 wind damage reports and at least 80 tornado reports have occurred across the US since Sunday.

While severe storms pound inland areas this weekend, some coastal areas will face a different threat. A heaping serving of summerlike heat is on the menu as many head to the beach to celebrate the unofficial start of summer.

It’s already been record hot in parts of the South this month, especially in South Texas andSouth Florida, the type of extreme heat made more likely by human-caused climate change.

Record heat will expand over the weekend and jeopardize daily high temperature records in jeopardy from Texas through the Southeast as air temperatures soar well into the 90s.

Where to expect the heat: Houston, New Orleans, Miami, Mobile, Alabama, Tampa, Florida, and Charleston, South Carolina, are just a few cities along the Gulf and southeast Atlantic coasts where it’ll feel more like July than late May through Memorial Day.