Overview

• At least 16 fatalities have been confirmed across multiple states, including five in St. Louis, where a tornado likely touched down on Friday afternoon.
• The storms caused significant structural damage, uprooted trees, and left over 400,000 homes and businesses without power across the Great Lakes and Midwest regions.
• The National Weather Service has issued ongoing tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings, with forecasts calling for additional strong tornadoes, large hail, and damaging winds into next week.
• In Kentucky, a tornado caused a mass casualty event, leaving nine dead and prompting continued searches for survivors in Laurel County.
• The severe weather has disrupted daily life, delaying events like a Beyoncé concert in Chicago and forcing the closure of St. Louis Zoo due to storm-related damage.