Deadly Tornadoes Rip Through Midwestern and Southern U.S.

Tornadoes, heavy rain, and thunderstorms tore through parts of the Midwestern and Southern United States over the weekend, leaving dozens dead.

The weather system, which began on Friday, produced more than two dozen tornadoes that ripped through parts of Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

At least 28 people died during the severe storms in Missouri, Kentucky, and Virginia, according to The Associated Press. Kentucky was hardest hit, as a catastrophic tornado in the state damaged buildings and displaced many residents. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear posted on X on Sunday that 19 people died in his state alone. Seven people were killed amid the severe weather in Missouri, and two in Virginia, the AP reported.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said that the severe weather in Kentucky could continue on Monday and Tuesday, with the possibility of damaging winds, hail, tornadoes, heavy rainfall, and flooding. Parts of Missouri and Kansas could also experience thunderstorms and hail into Monday, according to NWS.

“Kentucky, we have been through a very difficult round of severe weather that’s taken a lot of lives, and unfortunately we’re going to see some more severe weather in the days to come,” Beshear said in a video posted on X on Monday. “We have already lost 19 Kentuckians to severe weather in just the last couple of days. So be safe.”

The area of Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas is known as “Tornado Alley” because the conditions in the region—where cold, dry air from Canada converges with warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico—are often ideal for the formation of tornadoes.