New York City under flood watch, states brace for tornadoes as Memorial Day storms hit East Coast
As storms pelt the East Coast, communities in the central US are mourning the 21 lives lost to severe weather this weekend
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Your support makes all the difference.At least 21 people have died, including two children, in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kentucky after violent storms ripped through the central US over Memorial Day weekend.
At least 11 tornadoes swept through affected states on Sunday, with severe weather forecast to continue throughout Memorial Day. On Monday, a staggering 120m Americans were at risk of large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes as storm systems moved towards the Gulf Coast and East Coast, according to the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center.
The storms could bring gusts up to 70 miles per hour and quarter-sized hail.
Meanwhile, record-high temperatures are feared in other parts of the country, with excessive heat warnings and heat advisories over southern Texas on Monday.
The death toll climbed to 21 people on Monday.
At least eight people have so far died as a result of the extreme storms in Arkansas, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at a news conference on Sunday evening.
Four people died in Kentucky, Governor Andy Beshear confirmed on Monday morning. The victims included a 67-year-old woman in Mercer County, a 62-year-old woman in Hardin County, a 48-year-old woman in Hopkins County and a 34-year-old man in Jefferson County, the governor said.
A fifth person was injured and is fighting for their life as of Monday afternoon, Mr Beshear said.
Meanwhile in Oklahoma, at least two people were killed in Mayes County after a tornado ripped through the northeast part of the state.
In Texas, multiple tornados were reported throughout the state with one plowing through Cooke County on Saturday night – approximately 50 miles north of Dallas – leaving seven people dead.
The sheriff confirmed that a two-year-old and a five-year-old were among the dead. The victims also included three other family members who were found in a home near Valley View – a rural community close to the Oklahoma border.
Kentucky Governor announces State of Emergency
Governor Andy Beshear has announced a State of Emergency in Kentucky, that has been hit with severe damages, power outages and deaths in the deadly storms.
The governor added in an update on X on Monday morning that “it appears we have two additional deaths due to the storms,” saying that it has been a “tough night.”
As the severe weather continues, with multiple reports coming in of wind damage and tornadoes, the governor decided to issue a State of Emergency “to ensure the communities impacted have the resources they need to respond.”
More information will come from the governor at 11am EDT.
At least 19 killed as severe storms and tornadoes pummel central US
At least 19 people have died, including two children, in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kentucky after violent storms ripped through the central US over Memorial Day weekend.
At least 11 tornadoes swept through affected states on Sunday, with severe weather forecast to continue throughout Memorial Day.
A staggering 120 million Americans remain at risk of large hail, damaging winds and spawning tornadoes on Monday, with forecasters warning that the storms are also heading for the East Coast.
Read more from Ariana Baio and Amelia Neath:
At least 19 killed as severe storms and tornadoes pummel central US
A staggering 120 million Americans remain at risk of severe weather on Monday, with storms now heading for the East Coast
WATCH: Storms Are Sweeping Across the US This Weekend
SEE IT: Multi-vortex tornado Near Creta, Oklahoma
At least 21 dead from Memorial Day Weekend storms
Golf-ball-sized hail, strong thunderstorms, destructive winds and tornadoes ripped through parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Indiana and Kentucky this weekend. The death toll climbed to at least 21 people as of Monday morning.
The storms killed eight people in Arkansas, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed. Meanwhile, seven people, including two children, died in Cooke County, Texas.
Four people in Kentucky also died, Governor Andy Beshear confirmed on Monday morning. Two people in Oklahoma also died.
“It’s just a trail of debris left. The devastation is pretty severe,” Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington told The Associated Press.
Four people dead in Kentucky, Governor confirms
Severe storms in Kentucky killed at least four people, Governor Andy Beshear confirmed on Monday morning.
The victims included a 67-year-old woman in Mercer County, a 62-year-old woman in Hardin County, a 48-year-old woman in Hopkins County and a 34-year-old man in Jefferson County, the governor said.
A fifth person was critically injured and is fighting for their life as of Monday afternoon.
“So please pray for that individual as his circumstances appear very difficult and dire,” Mr Beshear said.
Meanwhile, more than 160,000 customers are still without power in the state, according to PowerOutage.us.
In pictures: Deadly storms wreak havoc on small Oklahoma town
Storms threaten Gulf Coast, East Coast this Memorial Day
The deadly storms that killed at least 21 people in the central US this weekend are now moving to the southern and eastern US, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
Some 120m people are at risk of severe weather today.
Areas of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia and North Carolina are also at a 5 per cent risk for tornadoes, the agency forecasts.
WATCH: Kentucky Governor confirms four people dead and thousands without power
Texas man describes moment he found family trapped under debris from tornado
Kevin Dorantes, 20, was in nearby Carrollton when he learned the tornado was bearing down on the Valley View neighborhood where he lived with his father and brother. He called and told them to take cover in the windowless bathroom, where the pair rode out the storm and survived without injury.
Some of Dorantes’ neighbors weren’t so lucky.
As he wandered through the neighborhood surveying downed power lines and devastated properties, he came upon a family whose home was reduced to a pile of splintered rubble. A father and son were trapped under debris, and friends and neighbors worked frantically to get them out, Dorantes said.
“They were conscious but severely injured,” Dorantes said. “The father’s leg was snapped.”
He said they managed to put the father on a mattress and carry him to a truck, where he and his son were driven to an ambulance at a nearby convenience store.
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