AccuWeather is wrapping up live coverage of the deadly tornadoes that tore across the central and eastern United States. For additional coverage, stream AccuWeather NOW anytime on our website. Stay up to date on the latest weather in your area by downloading the AccuWeather mobile app and visiting AccuWeather.com. And keep an eye on weather news and forecasts by following AccuWeather on:
• Facebook
• Twitter
• TikTok
• Instagram
• YouTube
The long road to recovery began on Thursday in the wake of a deadly tornado that ripped through south-central Tennessee near the city of Columbia. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee toured the damage on Thursday and described the scene as “heartbreaking” as he visited the families impacted by the tornado and thanked the emergency workers for helping clear debris. The National Weather Service has given the tornado a preliminary rating of EF3 with estimated winds of 140 mph, but the rating could change as the damage assessment continues.
Dry weather has settled over Tennessee following the midweek storms, with dry and warm weather in the forecast for Columbia through the weekend, which will aid in the cleanup efforts. The next chance for showers and thunderstorms will be on Tuesday and Wednesday.
An unrelenting, volatile weather pattern across the United States has spawned twisters each day over the past two weeks, including this week’s long-duration severe weather outbreak. NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has received at least one report of a twister each day since April 25. There have been even more reports of large hail and damaging wind in almost every state from Tornado Alley to the Atlantic Coast.
As of Thursday, there have been 699 preliminary tornado reports across the U.S., according to the SPC, well above the historical average of 549 tornadoes through May 9. The only years when there were more tornadoes through this timeframe were 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2017. AccuWeather predicted a busy severe weather season back in January with the release of its annual U.S. spring forecast.
From flooding in Illinois to destructive tornadoes in Tennessee, severe storms left behind a path of destruction on May 8.
Another death as a result of severe weather that roared across the U.S. Wednesday night has been reported, bringing the fatalities from yesterday to three and the total from this week to at least four.
According to N.C. Highway Patrol, a York County woman was killed when a storm knocked a tree onto her car Wednesday afternoon near Belmont, North Carolina, about 30 miles west of Charlotte. She died at the scene and a passenger was taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries, local affiliate News 13 reported.
A tornado left behind scenes of destruction in Columbia, Tennessee, on the evening of May 8.
A 22-year-old Tennessee man was in a car when he was fatally struck by a tree that came down during a storm there, according to local affiliate 10 News. A woman was also killed in Tennessee and 12 people were injured when a tornado tore through Maury County near Spring Hill, about 35 miles south of Nashville on Wednesday evening. During a press conference Thursday morning, Maury County officials said the woman was inside a home when the tornado struck, ccording to WSMV 4.
Earlier this week, one person was killed when a tornado ripped through Barnsdall, Oklahoma.
A tornado watch is in effect for the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex this afternoon through 9 p.m. CDT. Severe thunderstorms are already active west of the city. Storms should exit the area shortly after sunset.
North of Dallas, a severe thunderstorm watch covers storms moving into southern Oklahoma. Three other tornado watches are in effect in the Southeast, in parts of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina.
Severe storms Wednesday left behind widespread power outages. According to PowerOutage.US, over 300,000 utility customers are without power this Thursday morning, down from a peak of 330,000 overnight. There have been more than a quarter of a million in the dark for the last 16 hours.
Hailstones as large as 4.5 inches in diameter (grapefruit-sized) fell in Missouri, while hail 3 inches across -- larger than a baseball -- fell in Tennessee and western North Carolina. Eleven tornado reports were submitted by storm spotters, along with nearly 300 hail reports, making for nearly 1,000 severe weather reports since Monday.
From flooding in Illinois to destructive tornadoes in Tennessee, severe storms left behind a path of destruction on May 8.
As officials in the central and southern US assess the damage from reported tornadoes and powerful storms that killed at least two people Wednesday, residents across several states begin the heartbreaking task of picking through the debris left in the wake of powerful storms
The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings throughout Wednesday night in North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Missouri and Kentucky. Parts of Arkansas and Mississippi were also under a tornado watch into the early hours.
Tennessee was especially hard hit Wednesday, with at least four tornado reports amid high winds that knocked down power lines and trees. Bob Brooks, the sheriff in Claiborne County about an hour north of Knoxville, said a 22-year-old man was in a car when he was fatally struck by one of the trees, according to local affiliate 10 News.
A second person was killed in the city of Columbia in Maury County, just south of Nashville, according to WSMV 4. Crews continued rescue operations in Maury County throughout the night, where the National Weather Service said a likely tornado had touched down.
Drone video from storm chaser Brandon Clement shows homes torn to shreds by a powerful tornado in Columbia, Tennessee.
Flash flooding prompted water rescues and blocked roads north of Nashville. Rutherford County Schools, located just southeast of Nashville, announced that it would close Thursday due to "several flooding issues," as well as areas without electricity and downed trees in a post on X, the site formerly known on Twitter.
About 30 miles east of Nashville, Wilson County Emergency Management Agency Director Joey Cooper reported 10 roads flooded in Lebanon with four impassable, two trees blocking roads and one transformer fire.
As of Thursday morning, around 63,000 customers were without power in the state of Tennessee, according to poweroutage.us.
A massive, multicolored shelf cloud over Ellis Grove, Illinois, on May 8, 2024. (AccuWeather/ Tony Laubach)
A multicolored shelf cloud rolled over southern Illinois on the leading edge of one of the many thunderstorms to hit the region on Wednesday afternoon. AccuWeather meteorologist and storm chaser Tony Laubach was in Ellis Grove, Illinois, located about 45 miles southeast of St. Louis when he captured the breathtaking scene filled with hues of pink and blue. And it wasn’t the only shelf cloud Laubach witnessed.
A person in Sesser, Illinois, photographing a shelf cloud as it approaches on May 8, 2024. (AccuWeather/ Tony Laubach)
On Wednesday evening, Laubach found himself staring at another incredible shelf cloud, this time in Sesser, Illinois, in the southern part of the state. And he wasn’t the only one outside to witness the phenomenon. “It’s amazing to see something like this. You don’t see this every day. Mother Nature like this is amazing,” a local resident told Laubach. A shelf cloud is commonly seen on the leading edge of a strong thunderstorm or a line of thunderstorms and is different from a wall cloud, which indicates a potential tornado.
A snapshot of the radar as the tornado-warned storm barreled toward Interstate 65 on May 8, 2024. (AccuWeather)
One of the most intense thunderstorms of the day erupted south of Nashville, spawning a large, damaging tornado. Shortly after the storm tracked over Columbia, Tennessee, the National Weather Service issued a rare tornado emergency, citing “a confirmed large and destructive tornado” was on the ground. The alert, which was issued at 5:53 p.m. CDT, was issued moments before it tracked over Interstate 65. The extent of the damage is unclear, but a person driving on the interstate in the wake of the tornado spotted a vehicle on its side off the shoulder of the highway.
An emergency responder standing next to a vehicle that was found alongside Interstate 65 after the tornado-warned storm passed overhead late Wednesday afternoon. (X/@sean__mcnulty)
Elsewhere, severe thunderstorms are beginning to crop up over eastern Oklahoma and northeastern Texas, including around the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Storms that ignite over these areas could produce tornadoes and very large hail as large as grapefruits.
The tornado was spotted east of Clarksville, Tennessee, on May 8.
Severe thunderstorms rumbled to life over several states on Wednesday afternoon, including in north-central Tennessee. One storm chaser near Clarksville, Tennessee, intercepted a tornado that was swirling close to a road, with one motorist stopping after spotting the twister ahead. The storms in north-central Tennessee also produced hail ranging from the size of golf balls to baseballs, which is large enough to damage vehicles and injure anyone caught outside in the storm.
At 4 p.m. CDT Wednesday, seven tornado watches were in effect, spanning from Texas into Tennessee. A severe thunderstorm watch was also in effect in the Carolinas, where 130,000 utility customers were without power after severe storms moved through the Charlotte area. Around 100,000 of those were in Gaston and Mecklenburg counties.
Weather spotters confirmed a tornado was on the ground near Creal Springs, Illinois, at 4:15 p.m. CDT. It was one of a handful of tornado reports submitted today to the Storm Prediction Center in northern Tennessee and southern Illinois.
The number of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes will increase over the central United States with dangerous conditions to focus on portions of the Ohio, Tennessee and mid-Mississippi valleys on Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday night, AccuWeather meteorologists warn.
This has the potential to be the biggest day in terms of impact and the number of incidents ranging from tornadoes to damaging winds and hail.
“There could easily be over a dozen tornadoes produced at midweek alone,” AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno warned.
The high-risk zone extends from southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas through southern Illinois, western and central Kentucky and northwestern and middle Tennessee.
One key aspect affecting impact is that the severe weather and tornado potential will focus on more densely populated areas than the Great Plains. At least 75 million people are at risk of experiencing severe weather on Wednesday from the Central states to parts of the East.
Major cities at risk of severe weather on Wednesday include Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee; Louisville and Paducah, Kentucky; Cincinnati; Indianapolis and Evansville, Indiana; St. Louis and Cape Girardeau, Missouri; Little Rock and Texarkana, Arkansas; Springfield, Illinois; and Dallas.
AccuWeather meteorologists also warn of a heightened flash flooding risk accompanying the severe weather threat.
The Millers sit together in the trunk of their car amid their neighborhood levelled by a tornado on May 07, 2024 in Barnsdall, northeast Oklahoma. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
The long road to recovery is underway in Barnsdall, Oklahoma, after an EF4 tornado ripped through the town on Monday night under a veil of darkness. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt visited Barnsdall on Tuesday to see the damage firsthand, vowing that “we’re going to rebuild.” Legislative leaders in Oklahoma have already agreed to commit $45 million in this year’s budget to help Barnsdall and other towns that have been devastated by recent storms, according to CBS News. “Oklahomans are resilient,” Stitt said.
Debris is scattered from what used to be someone's home following an overnight tornado on May 7, 2024, in Barnsdall, Ok. (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Some homes in Barnsdall were swept from their foundations, leaving debris and belongings scattered across the town. The death toll from this week’s severe weather stands at one, but another round of storms is threatening lives and property in densely populated areas of the central and eastern United States.
Drone footage shows the destruction done to a FedEx building in Portage, Michigan, after a tornado swept through the community on May 7.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency late Tuesday after a series of tornadoes pummeled the upper Midwestern state, injuring more than 15 people.
"My heart goes out to all those impacted by tonight's severe weather in southwest Michigan," she said in a statement.
The state of emergency was issued for Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, Branch and Cass counties and will help emergency teams coordinate resources to aid cleanup efforts.
A reported tornado wreaked havoc in a mobile home community in Portage, Michigan, on May 7.
"Significant" tornado damage was incurred by Kalamazoo County, Sheriff Richard Fuller said during an update posted online.
"On the scene, we found 176 damaged homes in the mobile home property. It looks like 15 to 17 have been totally destroyed." Sheriff Fuller added that several injuries have been reported, but none appear to be life-threatening. Shelters have been set up to help those affected by the tornado.
Tornadoes struck southern Michigan, Indiana and Ohio Tuesday night. A total of 25 preliminary tornado reports were submitted by weather spotters. Major damage was done to a mobile home park and a FedEx building in Portage, Michigan, just south of Kalamazoo. About 30,000 utility customers were without power in the state Wednesday morning.
From damaging tornadoes in Michigan and Ohio to pelting hail in Illinois and Wisconsin, severe thunderstorms packed a wallop around the Great Lakes on May 7.
Damage from a likely tornado in Portage, Michigan, just to the south of Kalamazoo, on the afternoon of May 7, 2024. (@Scraft_wxman)
Storm spotters reported that a tornado touched down Tuesday evening around 6 p.m. CDT just south of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The sightings were at the towns of Portage and Comstock. Photos on social media showed massive damage to an industrial building, with emergency response on the scene. Trees and power lines were also reported down in Portage.
People in Portage, Michigan, were still reeling after damage from the first tornado-warned storm when a second one came through.
Damage assessments are underway following the deadly tornado that tore through Barnsdall and Bartlesville, Oklahoma, on Monday night. The National Weather Service (NWS) conducted a damage survey on Tuesday and has given the tornado a preliminary rating of EF4, meaning winds were between 166 and 200 mph.
However, the NWS added that there is still more damage to evaluate, so the final rating could be higher than EF4 if more extensive damage is discovered.
The Enhanced Fujita Scale was introduced in 2007 to replace the original Fujita scale, developed and named after Tetsuya “Ted” Fujita. Fujita was also known as “Mr. Tornado” due to his work and research with tornadoes. Click here to learn more about the groundbreaking scientist.
The focal point of severe weather is shifting from the Plains to the Midwest, with approximately 80 million people at risk of storms through Tuesday night. Storms could break out from Wisconsin to western Pennsylvania and southward to Tennessee, including Chicago, Indianapolis, Cleveland and St. Louis. “There are going to be tornadoes in parts of Illinois, Ohio and Kentucky Tuesday afternoon and evening,” AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno warned.
Yet another round of dangerous storms is in the forecast for Wednesday, with storms in the Midwest and Tennessee Valley likely to be more intense than those expected for Tuesday.
May severe spotter reports so far.
It's been a busy year for severe weather and the month of May has been no exception. So far this month, 500 wind and hail reports have been issued by storm spotters across the nation. In addition, 59 preliminary tornadoes were reported, mostly in the central U.S. Texas has taken the lead from Iowa for tornado reports in the year so far, with 62 preliminary reports.
Tornado reports by state in 2024, up to May 6.
Tornado damage in Barnsdall, Oklahoma on May 7, 2024. (Brandon Clement/WxChasing)
Tuesday’s sunrise revealed the devastation caused by a deadly tornado that ripped through Barnsdall, Oklahoma, on Monday night under the cover of darkness. Drone footage revealed houses that were shredded apart, vehicles that were tossed, and trees that were transformed into tall, leafless stumps. It was also the second tornado to strike the town this year. On April 1, a tornado tore through the town and destroyed several houses, but fortunately spared the lives of residents.
Favorable weather is forecast for northern Oklahoma throughout the rest of the week, with the exception of a morning thunderstorm on Wednesday. The largely dry and mild conditions will help with cleanup efforts in the wake of Monday’s tornado outbreak before showers and thunderstorms return early next week.
A destructive tornado in Barnsdall, Oklahoma, caused significant damage to homes and businesses on May 7. Survivors reported hearing the “windows blow” as the tornado passed over their homes.
At least one person was killed when a tornado and severe weather swept through the small town of Barnsdall, about 40 miles north of Tulsa, the Osage County Sheriff’s Office said early Tuesday morning. Search and rescue crews spent the night looking for survivors trapped in damaged homes in the small town.
A destructive tornado in Barnsdall, Oklahoma, caused significant damage to homes and businesses on May 7. (Image credit: Brandon Clement)
According to the National Weather Service Tulsa, a large and destructive tornado was located over Barnsdall and moved through the area around 9:30 p.m.
“There’s a lot of damage between Bartlesville and Barnsdall along the path of the tornado, a lot of houses damaged, some completely torn up. We’ve got one confirmed fatality and multiple injuries,” Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virden told local affiliate KOKI.
(Image credit: Brandon Clement)
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol also reported downed power lines and gas leaks in the Barnsdall area. As of early Tuesday morning, poweroutage.us reported 16,000 customers in Oklahoma are without power, down from nearly 30,000 overnight.
In the last hour, tornadoes have been reported in Bison, Oklahoma; Covington, Oklahoma; and Ogden, KS. Tornado watches remain in effect from Texas to Nebraska until 11 p.m. CDT, while a new Tornado Watch for parts of Iowa extends until 3 a.m. CDT.
From Melissa Constanzer on the AccuWeather Network (watch live) at 7:45 p.m. CDT:
"We have a new tornado warning that includes Pottawattamie County, Kansas, as well as Riley County, Kansas. This is an area near where severe weather unfolded during the last severe weather outbreak in Westmoreland, Kansas. If you recall, unfortunately, Westmoreland got an EF3 tornado last week. Now, they're not far away from this upcoming tornado warning, which is currently over Manhattan, Kansas, at this point in time."
AccuWeather meteorologists say that, despite only a handful of tornado reports through 6:30 p.m. CDT, the tornado risk will increase through midnight. The greatest risk for tornadoes in the Oklahoma City area will be from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. CDT.
A wall cloud spotted near Cherokee, Oklahoma, on May 6, 2024. (AccuWeather/ Tony Laubach)
Three severe thunderstorms have lined up across northwestern Oklahoma, and AccuWeather Meteorologist and Storm Chaser Tony Launch recently spotted a wall cloud near the town of Cherokee. A wall cloud hangs down below the base of a thunderstorm and is indicative that a tornado may soon develop. The storm to the south of Laubach is also potent, capable of spinning up a tornado, and has already produced a wind gust of 82 mph. All three storms are currently tracking eastward toward Interstate 35 between Wichita, Kansas, and Oklahoma City.
A severe thunderstorm in south-central Kansas on Monday afternoon. (AccuWeather/ Tony Laubach)
Severe thunderstorms are breaking out across western Kansas and western Oklahoma as the tornado outbreak gets underway. AccuWeather Meteorologist and Storm Chaser Tony Laubach is following a thunderstorm near Coldwater, Kansas, located in the south-central part of the state, that has already produced hail as large as golf balls. A tornado warning was issued at 3:45 p.m. CDT for a thunderstorm north of Laubach, the first tornado warning for the day in the state, but a twister has yet to be confirmed.
A severe thunderstorm watch and two tornado watches have been issued across the Plains, stretching from part of North Dakota to northern Texas, as severe thunderstorms begin to erupt. The tornado watch for southern Kansas, central Oklahoma and northern Texas has been deemed a “particularly dangerous situation” due to the heightened risk of intense, long-tracked tornadoes and hail as large as grapefruits. “If you live in Wichita or Oklahoma City,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter said, “know where you’re going to be in a safe spot to ride out the storm if a tornado or severe thunderstorm threatens your community.”
A tornado watch means the ingredients are coming together for twister-producing thunderstorms to develop, while a tornado warning means that a tornado is imminent or is already happening.
A dangerous severe weather event is imminent in the central United States with a significant risk to lives and property. “If you were to look at a meteorology textbook about how do we get a tornado outbreak in the southern Plains, it’s this setup today,” AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter explained. Watch Porter’s live interview with Bernie Rayno below:
AccuWeather’s Jon Porter shows the warm, moist air around the central Plains, perfect factors for upcoming storms and possible tornadoes.
With an ‘extreme’ risk of severe weather and tornadoes in parts of Kansas and Oklahoma on Monday afternoon, schools across the area are altering their schedules. Some school districts in south-central Kansas have announced early dismissals on Monday so that students are home before the thunderstorms commence, according to KWCH, a news station based in Wichita, Kansas. Meanwhile, other schools, including one in Haysville, Kansas, alerted parents that dismissal could be delayed and students may shelter inside the school if severe weather threatens around the same time as dismissal on Monday afternoon.
Superintendents face difficult decisions regarding whether to let out classes early or keep students at a school longer amid a severe weather outbreak. “It all boils down to one question: Where are people the safest?” AccuWeather Meteorologist Jake Sojda said. AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter added that there is no “one size fits all” solution and that the decision varies from district to district and from one type of extreme weather event to another.
At 5 a.m. CDT Monday, AccuWeather upgraded parts of Oklahoma and Kansas to an Extreme Risk, the highest severe weather risk level. The last Extreme Risk was issued by AccuWeather on April 4, 2023. “We are probably looking at dozens of tornadoes being produced during the severe weather outbreak from Monday to Tuesday,” AccuWeather Chief On-Air Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said.
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center (SPC) upgraded a similar area to a "High Risk," its highest risk level at 8 a.m. CDT. The last time the SPC issued a High Risk was March 31, 2023. Oklahoma was last in an SPC High Risk in 2019, while Kansas hasn't seen one since 2017.
With severe weather in the forecast, it is important to understand and prepare for the risks that are inbound. These are five tips that can help you and your family prepare in advance:
•Shelter safety: What to look for: It is important to make sure the storm shelter is safe and provides an escape if the door is blocked by potential debris.
•Access to shelter and supplies: Having a storm shelter that cannot be accessed effectively defeats the purpose of having one at all. Shelters should be as easily accessible as possible.
•Security and restoration planning: If doors and windows are shattered and missing, securing the property quickly is essential. Making sure the property is structurally sound and having a repair company in mind should be planned before the severe weather.
•Insurance and financial protection: Consumers should look at the types of disasters their area may be prone to, to determine if they have the proper coverage in place.
•Protecting irreplaceable property with sentimental value: Some items may never be able to be replaced after a disaster. For these items, it is a good idea to take preventative measures to protect personal possessions that hold sentimental value.
