Deadly tornado outbreak leaves at least 16 dead across Kentucky, Missouri

LONDON, Ky. - A tornado outbreak swept crossed the Ohio Valley Friday night, leaving much than a twelve dormant and rescue crews frantically searching neighborhoods near successful ruins for immoderate different survivors.

So far, at slightest 9 radical person died successful Kentucky and seven much person been killed successful Missouri -- 5 of them successful the St. Louis area.

Some of the hardest deed towns from evident ample tornadoes Friday nighttime successful Kentucky were the Somerset country and London, wherever metropolis officials reported important damage.

The Laurel County Sheriff's Office says the tornado touched down successful London conscionable earlier midnight and tore done 2 neighborhoods and the London Corbin Airport area, "causing wide casualties successful its path." So far, deputies accidental 9 radical person died successful the region and "numerous terrible injuries occurred to others."

Video from London shows extended harm with aggregate homes destroyed and vehicles hardly recognizable arsenic debris littered the vicinity and lightning inactive flashed successful the background.

"(My daughter) got scared, truthful we went to the hallway," a pistillate named Leslie, who survived the tempest with her family, told exigency officials successful the video. "And we were successful determination astir 2 minutes and past my hubby came moving successful and beauteous overmuch jumped connected apical of her due to the fact that you could consciousness the aerial sucking in, and it sounded similar a train. And past we saw worldly falling, and adjacent happening you knew, astir of the location was gone."

Tornadoes permission 5 dormant astir St. Louis

The terrible upwind outbreak began earlier Friday successful Missouri arsenic supercell thunderstorms spawned deadly tornadoes.

St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said astatine slightest 5 storm-related fatalities person been confirmed successful her city. She implemented a city-wide curfew due to the fact that implicit 5,000 homes were affected by the storms. 

In Scott County, located astir 2 hours southbound of St. Louis, the sheriff reported astatine slightest 2 storm-related deaths and aggregate injuries.

"Today, our region was struck by a devastating tornado successful the confederate region, causing important harm to respective agrarian areas," Scott County Sheriff Derick Wheetley said. The tornado moved from the eastbound portion of the county, leaving down a way of destruction, with aggregate homes wholly mislaid and areas near unrecognizable." 

Much of the harm successful the St. Louis country seems to person happened successful the University City area. FOX News Multimedia Reporter Olivianna Calmes recovered harm successful Clayton, conscionable southbound of University City. She said she has seen respective trees damaged, and immoderate trees person fallen connected cars successful the area.

"The skies turned green," Rachel, a nonmigratory of Clayton, told Calmes. "The winds started whipping. Then, it fell silent, and past you heard what sounded similar a train, and everything started falling.

According to a Facebook post, the St. Louis Zoo sustained harm during the tempest and volition beryllium closed done Saturday.

"All animals are harmless and accounted for, and determination person been nary reports of important injuries to staff, guests oregon animals," zoo unit wrote successful the post.

The NWS described the tempest arsenic a "Particularly Dangerous Situation" erstwhile it issued a Tornado Warning that affected much than a cardinal radical crossed the St. Louis metro area.

Tornadic thunderstorms besides impacted confederate Indiana and Illinois, wherever respective counties southbound of Interstate 70 were placed nether Tornado Warnings.

The politician of Bloomington, Indiana, said constabulary were successful hunt and rescue mode connected Friday evening, but it would apt beryllium respective hours earlier the all-clear would beryllium given.

The SPC received much than fractional a twelve reports of tornado touchdowns successful Indiana, but determination were nary reports of immoderate fatalities connected to the terrible weather.

Overall, much than 800,000 customers were reported without powerfulness crossed astatine slightest a twelve states, with outages apt to past days successful hard-hit communities.

Severe upwind remains a menace into adjacent week

The hard-hit Ohio Valley volition get a interruption from terrible storms Saturday arsenic the menace shifts into inland New England, wherever damaging upwind gusts look to beryllium the largest menace from immoderate terrible thunderstorms, the FOX Forecast Center said.

SEE IT: HUGE WALL OF DUST LOOMS OVER NEBRASKA FIELD

This graphic shows a terrible upwind menace starting connected Sunday, May 18.

(FOX Weather)

Another menace of terrible upwind energizes successful the Southern Plains connected Saturday, kicking disconnected different multiday menace crossed the region.

The Storm Prediction Center has highlighted the imaginable for terrible upwind successful respective areas of the state done aboriginal adjacent week.

"This is simply a classical terrible upwind setup for the Central Plains," Merwin said. "You person each of that moisture streaming successful from the Gulf, the cooler, drier aerial disconnected the Rockies, and past you get that classical clash zone."