Severe storms killed at least 24 people, injured hundreds and left a terrifying trail of destruction across Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia over the Memorial Day weekend.
The storms destroyed homes and damaged a truck stop where dozens of people sought shelter in a restroom during the latest deadly weather to strike the central United States.
The storms inflicted heavy damage in a region that stretched from north of Dallas to the northwest corner of Arkansas.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency early Monday, May 27, in a post on X, citing "multiple reports of wind damage and tornadoes."
According to the authorities, falling trees killed at least two people in Kentucky. In Mercer County on Monday, one person was pronounced dead inside and a second was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Another storm-related death was reported in Louisville.
In total, five deaths were blamed on the severe weather in Kentucky. "We believe at least a few tornadoes touched down, including the one we know was on the ground for at least 40 miles," said Beshear.
The Kentucky governor also said that at least one family who lost their home in the 2021 tornados lost their home again this year. (Related: Texas electricity grid BARELY produced enough energy to meet demand during Winter Storm Heather in January.)
At a news conference, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that seven deaths were reported in Valley View in Cooke County, Texas, near the Oklahoma border.
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On Saturday night, May 25, a tornado destroyed a rural area near a mobile home park in Cooke County. According to the county sheriff, the casualties included two children, ages two and five. Meanwhile, three family members were found dead in one home.
At least 100 people were injured and more than 200 homes and structures were destroyed in Texas, said Abbott.
Severe storms also killed two people and destroyed several houses in Oklahoma, seven people in Arkansas and one in Virginia. On Tuesday, May 28, the authorities confirmed deaths in two additional states: one death in Clay County, North Carolina, and one death in Sikeston, Missouri.
Moist air to blame for the string of tornadoes
The recent wreckage continued a month of severe weather in the nation's midsection.
Earlier this month, tornadoes in Iowa left at least five people dead and dozens injured. The deadly twisters occurred during a historically bad season for tornadoes.
Meteorologists and authorities issued urgent warnings to seek cover as the storms sped across the region late Saturday.
"If you are in the path of this storm take cover now!" warned the National Weather Service office in Norman, Oklahoma, in a post on X.
Harold Brooks, a senior scientist at the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, explained that a persistent pattern of warm, moist air is behind the string of tornadoes within the past two months.
On Sunday morning, May 26, Oklahoma residents awoke to overturned cars and collapsed garages. Some residents left their homes to carefully assess the damage.
In Valley View, near the truck stop, the storms tore the roofs off of homes and blew out windows. Residents saw clothing, insulation and other pieces of debris wrapped around miles of barbed wire fence line surrounding grazing land in the rural area.
Kevin Dorantes, 20, was in Carrollton when he heard that the tornado was heading to the Valley View neighborhood where he lived with his father and brother. He called the two of them and told them to take cover in the windowless bathroom, where they waited out the storm and survived unharmed.
As Dorantes walked through the neighborhood of downed power lines and devastated houses, he found one family whose home was reduced to rubble. A father and son were trapped under debris and friends and neighbors hurried to help them get out, shared Dorantes. He said the pair "were conscious but severely injured."
Go to Disaster.news for more stories about storms and other disasters across America.
Watch the video below for footage of the recent storms across Texas.
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