We’re closing this blog for today but will continue to have the latest news on the aftermath of the devastating tornadoes on the Guardian. Here’s a summary of the major developments today:
- At least 70 people died in the central and southern US states as an estimated 22 tornadoes caused chaos across a swathe of the country greater than 200 miles
- There is huge damage to the small city of Mayfield, Kentucky, where a candle factory collapsed with more than 100 people inside
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‘My ears started popping’: survivors recall terrifying tornado experiences
- President Biden approves emergency declaration for Kentucky
Fire chief: six killed at Amazon facility
At least Amazon workers were killed at a warehouse near St Louis on Friday night when a series of tornadoes roared through the area, ripping off the roof and reducing a wall longer than a football field to rubble.
Several workers remained unaccounted for as rescuers searched for anyone who might still be trapped at the Edwardsville, Illinois facility, authorities said.
Fire chief James Whiteford said 45 people had made it out safely as of Saturday afternoon. He said six people were confirmed killed so far, and he expected recovery efforts to last for at least three more days.
Updated
Scientists wary of linking tornados to climate change
Edward Helmore writes:
President Biden gave a careful response when asked on Saturday about whether he believed tornados that have caused such damage in the US overnight were linked to climate change.
Scientists have been wary of attributing the frequency and intensity of convective storms that can produce tornadoes to climate change, in part because historical and observational data around tornadoes is relatively limited.
In simple terms, that’s due to fact that tornadoes are relatively small and can easily go unreported, says Michael Tippett, a professor of applied mathematics at Columbia University and co-author of a study published last month by the American Geophysical Union.
“In linking climate change to extreme weather like hurricanes or extreme rainfall and flooding some connections are easier to make than others,” Tippett told The Guardian on Saturday. “Making the connection to tornadoes is the hardest of all.”
Studies have found that severe thunderstorms accompanied by tornadoes, hail, and damaging winds cause an average of $5.4bn of damage each year across the US, and $10bn events are no longer uncommon. In the recent paper, Future Global Convective Environments, the authors looked at the atmospheric ingredients necessary to produce extreme weather that could in turn produce tornadoes.
The authors projected that for each degree of global temperature increase, conditions favorable to severe weather increased by 5%–20%. “We have circumstantial evidence, yes, but the key caveat is that favorable conditions do not guarantee that a storm occurs,” Tippett said.
While climate change may or may not have contributed to Fridays storms, Jennifer Francis, senior scientist at Woodwell Climate Research Center, says it is “making some of the ingredients needed to create an outbreak like this more likely.”
“The atmosphere has more fuel in it now, both in terms of heat and moisture. The large dip in the jet-stream that created the clash between warm, tropical air and cold Arctic air -- another necessary ingredient -- is also more likely to occur in our changed climate.”
“It all makes sense, but the rarity of these events makes it difficult to detect any definite signal of change in tornado behavior,” Francis adds.
Some scientists have been able to establish that the number of tornadoes in large tornado outbreaks is on the rise and the weather environments that produce severe storms are occurring more often. Each year, tornadoes are starting about a week earlier in “Tornado Alley” from Nebraska to Texas, while summer tornado frequency is declining.
Perhaps relevant to the deadly toll in the Kentucky event, tornado frequency is increasing in winter months, and at night, when they are 2.5 times as likely to cause fatalities, are occurring in an area known as “Dixie Alley,” including Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee.
Another circumstantial piece to the puzzle is that the five largest US winter tornado outbreaks have all hit since 1999. “Scientists say this is the toughest nut to crack when it comes to connecting climate change and its impact on weather extremes,” says Tippett. “Circumstantial evidence points to an increase in frequency, but it’s not a direct line of evidence. Intensity is a whole other can of worms.”
Updated
Biden says he will ask EPA to look at any climate change links
Asked if he thought the intensity of the storms was related to climate change, Biden said: “All I know is that the intensity of the weather across the board has some impact as a consequence of the warming of the planet.”
“The specific impact on these specific storms, I can’t say at this point. I’m going to ask the EPA to take a look. But we all know that everything is more intense when the climate is warming. Everything.”
But first, he said, “we have to find if anyone is still alive”. Asked if the warnings that came ahead of the the storm were sufficient, Biden said “what warning was there, was it strong enough and was it heeded?” would all be looked at.
Updated
Biden approves emergency declaration for Kentucky
The US president Joe Biden has confirmed that he has approved Kentucky governor Andy Beshear’s request for an emergency declaration. The president said he stood “ready to do the same for the governors of other states” and that he will ask Congress to approve whatever funding is needed.
In a mid afternoon news conference, Biden said the loss from the tornado strikes in Kentucky and neighboring states was “profound” and a “tragedy,” and “likely to be one of the largest tornado outbreaks in our history”.
He said: “We still don’t know how many lives were lost or the full extent of the damage. I says to all the victims you’re in our prayers, and to the first responders and emergency personnel, this is the right thing to do at the right time. We’re going to get through this.”
Biden said federal aid agencies, including FEMA, “would focus on getting support to where it is needed.”
“I want folks in all these states to know that we’re going to get through this, and we’re going to get through this together. It’s one of those times when we aren’t Democrats or Republicans. That sounds like hyperbole, but it’s real. We stand together as the United States of America.”
Pres. Biden says he approved emergency declaration for Kentucky in wake of devastating tornadoes, adding: "I stand ready to do the same for the governors of the other states." https://t.co/m9JNPYebcb pic.twitter.com/2dfwWwZURA
— ABC News (@ABC) December 11, 2021
Updated
As recovery efforts continue following the deadly tornadoes and severe weather that struck six midwestern and southern states overnight, more information about victims is emerging.
One of the victims is a Kentucky judge, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.
The judge, Brian Crick, served two counties, according to John Minton, a Kentucky state supreme court justice.
Minton reportedly said that Crick “lost his life during the storm”, and called his death a “shocking loss for his family, his community and the court system”.
“I have asked our justices, judges, circuit court clerks and AOC managers to try to determine the safety of any court staff in Western Kentucky, and what we can do to help any who need shelter, food or clothing,” Minton said in his statement.
Updated
President Biden has spoken with governors of the midwestern and southern states that were struck by deadly tornadoes and severe weather overnight.
In his call, Biden spoke with Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, Illinois Governor J B Pritzker, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Missouri Governor Mike Parson, and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, according to the White House.
A readout of Biden’s call with these governors said that he expressed “his condolences for the lives lost and the damage impacting their states as a result of the tornadoes and extreme weather overnight”.
Biden asked each governor what their state needed and how he could help. “The president asked each governor what his state needs and how he can be most supportive. The president expressed his commitment to delivering assistance as quickly as possible to impacted areas via FEMA,” the readout said.
Biden also asked the governors to call him directly if they needed any federal support and said he will “remain focused on doing everything he can to help communities recover from the effects of this historic storm”.
FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell, Homeland Security advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall, deputy chief of staff Jen O’Malley Dillon, and White House director of intergovernmental affairs Julie Chavez Rodriguez, were also on the call.
Biden is expected to speak later this afternoon about the storms.
Updated
Residents of Mayfield, Kentucky, were warned that a deadly tornado was heading toward their town more than 20 minutes before it reached them, according to a CNN analysis.
The first tornado warning for Mayfield was posted at 9.05pm local time. This National Weather Service advisory “confirmed [a] large and extremely dangerous tornado” and warned that it would arrive at about 9.30pm local time.
This initial notice, from NWS’s Paducah, Kentucky office, also warned of “considerable damage”. The warning advisory then became an upgraded “tornado emergency” around 9.26pm local time. That is the “highest level” tornado warning, per CNN.
The upgraded notice warned that this presented a “life-threatening” situation. The deadly tornado hit Mayfield around 9.27pm local time, CNN’s analysis determined.
The average lead time for tornado warnings in the US is just 13 minutes, the network said.
Updated
First responders in Mayfield, Kentucky, are facing additional challenges amid their rescue efforts because the deadly tornado system wreaked havoc on public safety infrastructure.
Jeremy Creason, Mayfield’s fire chief and emergency medical director, said that the “main station and the hub of our department” was not operational, according to CNN. Creason reportedly said the station was directly in the tornado’s path.
“That station is fully inoperable at this point. We had to extricate our own fire and EMS apparatus from that building just so we could respond last night,” Creason said. Creason told reporters that he is looking for another location to house nearly four dozen firefighters and their equipment.
During a news conference, Mayfield police chief Nathan Kent told reporters: “Our police station was destroyed in the storm. The bulk of our fleet that was parked there has also been compromised, but we are making do.”
Eleven counties have sent ambulances to Mayfield to help local authorities in their search and recovery efforts, per CNN.
The tornadoes and severe weather that tore through six midwestern and southern states overnight have killed more than 70 people.
In the US, tornadoes have repeatedly caused mass casualties, injuries, and untold damage to communities. While the month of December has previously seen severe tornadoes, it is very rare.
The Associated Press has compiled a list of the deadliest tornadoes in the US since 1900 that gives some additional perspective on these deadly storms. These tornadoes have all been in the spring months.
Among the deadliest events:
— 695 deaths, March 18, 1925, in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana
— 216 deaths, April 5, 1936, in Tupelo, Mississippi
— 203 deaths, April 6, 1936, in Gainesville, Georgia
— 181 deaths, April 9, 1947, in Woodward, Oklahoma
— 158 deaths, May 22, 2011, in Joplin, Missouri
— 143 deaths, April 24, 1908, in Amite, Louisiana, and Purvis, Mississippi
— 116 deaths, June 8, 1953, in Flint, Michigan.
— 114 deaths, May 11, 1953 in Waco, Texas
— 114 deaths, May 18, 1902 in Goliad, Texas
— 103 deaths, March 23, 1913, in Omaha, Nebraska
Updated
Following a deadly outbreak of tornadoes and severe weather across six midwestern and southern states overnight, residents are assessing damages to their homes and businesses. Photos and video from the hardest hit areas show neighborhoods reduced to rubble.
For those who want to help tornado victims, there are several relief funds available, including with the Kentucky Red Cross. United Way of Kentucky is also accepting donations.
More organizations are listed on the WFPL News Louisville website. There also might be opportunities to volunteer for Kentucky relief efforts, both through the state and local Red Cross.
Emergency management authorities in Kentucky have noted that storm-damaged communities “do not need goods at this time” and encourage monetary donations instead.
The American Red Cross is accepting donations for disaster relief across storm-struck areas. According to the Cleveland Fox affiliate, the organization has already deployed teams to Missouri and Arkansas.
Hundreds of thousands without power in storm-hit regions
After deadly tornadoes and severe storms tore through six states in the midwest and south, hundreds of thousands remain without power.
In Tennessee, 130,401 power customers are without power. In Kentucky, 76,257 do not have electricity, PowerOutage.US said.
Indiana is seeing power outages for 65,433 customers, and 56,247 are without power in Ohio.
The storm system, which had previously caused chaos such as heavy snowfall in the upper midwest and Great Lakes regions, appears to have caused power outages in Michigan.
According to PowerOutage.US, 280,202 customers in that state are without power.
Updated
An 84-year-old woman near Defiance, Missouri was killed by a tornado that tore her house off its foundation. Her husband, also 84 years old, was injured, according to the St Louis Post-Dispatch.
Ollie and Vernon Borgmann were at home when the tornado struck. They were speaking with one of their sons on the phone when the line went dead, the newspaper reported.
“The next thing Vernon remembers is waking up in a field surrounded by debris,” the newspaper reported.
Another one of their sons, Mark Borgmann, told the newspaper that Ollie was sweet, and a “typical grandmother”.
Mark said that rubble from his childhood home was scattered at least one half mile down a nearby highway.
Updated
Following the deadly storms that are feared to have killed dozens and injured scores, some have wondered if there have ever been severe tornadoes in December. According to the New York Times, deadly tornadoes are “rare” during this month, but they are not unprecedented.
In 2000, tornadoes tore through Alabama, causing 12 deaths. And tornadoes ripped through Tennessee, Mississippi, and several other nearby states before Christmas in 2015, killing more than one dozen people. Three people died in 2019 when several tornadoes emerged across four southern states in 2019, per the Times.
The tornadoes that resulted in destruction across six midwestern and southern states overnight were part of a storm system that had caused chaos near the Great Lakes and upper midwest US regions, including extensive snow, the newspaper notes.
Updated
Kentucky governor Andy Beshear has described the town of Mayfield, Kentucky, as “ground zero” for destruction wrought by a tornado that traveled more than 200-miles.
“We have half of some of our towns here in western Kentucky that are just gone. It’s hard to see,” Beshear told CNN.
At least 110 people were in a candle factory when the storm hit this town of 10,000, collapsing its roof. Beshear reportedly said that the last successful rescue at the plant was at 3 am local time.
“It looks like a bomb has gone on off here,” Mayfield mayor Kathy Stewart O’Nan told the news network.
Photos and video of Mayfield shows numerous buildings were severely damaged and that some were reduced to piles of rubble. Mayfield’s historic courthouse was among the buildings hit.
Short clip of downtown Mayfield. You can see the path of the tornado. Nothing short of heart wrenching. #kywx pic.twitter.com/oKgRjQJtQx
— Whitney Westerfield (@KyWhitney) December 11, 2021
Damage to the courthouse in downtown Mayfield is much worse than photos could show in the middle of the night. #kywx pic.twitter.com/Y5LI5UxXjA
— Whitney Westerfield (@KyWhitney) December 11, 2021
Updated
Biden: storm deaths are 'unimaginable tragedy'
President Biden said this morning that he was briefed about the tornadoes that struck six midwest and southern states overnight. In a tweet, Biden described storm deaths as an “unimaginable tragedy”.
This morning, I was briefed on the devastating tornadoes across the central U.S. To lose a loved one in a storm like this is an unimaginable tragedy. We’re working with Governors to ensure they have what they need as the search for survivors and damage assessments continue.
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 11, 2021
Updated
There are more details on the extent of the tornadoes that swept through midwest and southern US states – and the destruction they caused.
In Kentucky, at least four tornadoes touched down overnight, leaving a trail of destruction more than 12 counties, according to Reuters. The main tornado moved 227 miles across the state.
Severe weather killed at least three people in Tennessee. Officials said that there were “confirmed fatalities” at the Amazon warehouse in Illinois that was struck by a tornado.
The storms also derailed a freight train in Kentucky, but there were no injuries. In Bowling Green, Kentucky, authorities reported that numerous apartment complexes had suffered major structural damage, and said that some factories collapsed, the Associated Press reported.
The sudden eruption of tornadoes stemmed from a series of overnight thunderstorms. Among those storms was a “super cell storm” that emerged in northeast Arkansas. This storm traveled from Arkansas to Missouri, reaching east to Tennessee and Kentucky, Reuters said.
Updated
Images of deadly tornadoes emerge
Dramatic photos of the deadly tornadoes that are thought to have killed dozens, and injured scores, are emerging on social media.
Zach Holder, a meteorologist with Arkansas’ Region 8 News, described the tornado in Monette and Leachville as an “absolute monster.”
More pictures of the Monette and Leachville tornado from Jordan Brown. Absolute monster. #arwx pic.twitter.com/5HYPYBMdex
— Zach Holder (@ZachHolderWx) December 11, 2021
Holder also shared a photo taken in Bay, Arkansas from a woman name Kaylee Lawrence.
Another look at the tornado near Bay from Kaylee Lawrence. #arwx pic.twitter.com/8mwKX0n1bw
— Zach Holder (@ZachHolderWx) December 11, 2021
Reed Timmer, a meteorologist and storm chaser, also posted images of the Monette tornado.
Here is the wedge #tornado as it was entering Monette, AR last night. The tornado then constricted as it approached and crossed the MS River after I-55, and seemed to be even stronger in western KY. pic.twitter.com/SN1AuRVM3Q
— Reed Timmer (@ReedTimmerAccu) December 11, 2021
Timmer also posted a photo of a massive tornado approaching Hayti, Missouri.
Massive mesocyclone with a wedge #tornado below approaching Hayti, MO, sadly causing substantial damage. This is the longest track tornado I have ever chased, but could not keep up it across the four states. More tornado warnings in western TN pic.twitter.com/ru6T1YTi5j
— Reed Timmer (@ReedTimmerAccu) December 11, 2021
Updated
A worker at the Mayfield, Kentucky candle factory that was hit by a tornado has provided a harrowing account of her experience inside the building. Authorities fear that dozens were killed when the tornado struck the factory.
“It was extremely scary. Everything happened so fast. They had us in the area where you go in case there is a storm,” Kyana Parsons-Perez told the Today show. “We were all there, and then the lights got to flickering, and then all of a sudden we felt a gust … [we] could feel the wind.”
Those in the factory felt it sway a little bit.
“And then boom – everything came down on us. All you heard was screams.”
Parsons-Perez called 911 and then went live on social media in the hopes of securing help. Parsons-Perez was stuck for at least two hours.
“It was absolutely the most terrifying thing I have ever experienced in my life,” Parsons-Perez said.
“I did not think I was going to make it at all.”
Here is the video of Parsons-Perez’s interview.
Chilling video shows the cries of a candle worker trapped inside a factory after a deadly tornado collapsed their building. Kyana Parsons-Perez is speaking out on this horrifying experience amid severe tornado storms across the country. pic.twitter.com/zsr0rhc3RQ
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) December 11, 2021
Updated
Meteorologists warn that the deadly storm system continues to pose a threat as it moves north, through Appalachia, toward the northeast.
Weather Channel meteorologists have warned that “we’re not done by a long shot.” They have said that a tornado threat persists for areas in Tennessee such as Nashville, and Lexington, Kentucky.
The storm appears poised to move through northern Georgia and through North Carolina, as it eventually ascends mid-Atlantic states. Images of the storm’s progression shows it extending to New York.
Early reports from the areas hardest struck by these tornadoes have provided some details on fatalities resulting from the massive storm system.
“We believe our death toll from this event will exceed 50 Kentuckians, probably end up closer to 70 to 100 lost lives,” Kentucky governor Andy Beshear commented Saturday morning.
At least two people died at an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois. The warehouse collapsed during the storm. First responders have had to move slowly in their rescue efforts due to dangers from hanging debris, police chief Mike Fillback said in comments reported by CNN.
In Monette, Arkansas, one person died when a tornado damaged a nursing home. In the nearby city of Leachville, Arkansas, a woman died “in a Dollar General store when the storm hit and they could not get out,” the county sheriff told CNN.
More than 30 tornadoes were reported over a 200-mile expanse ranging from Arkansas through Kentucky, according to CNN.
Dozens feared dead as tornadoes strike midwest and southern states
Good morning, readers. The Guardian will be providing live updates on the deadly tornadoes and severe weather that struck six midwest and southern states overnight.
Officials have said that several died and were injured due to these tornadoes and severe weather, but fear that dozens might have been killed. The storm system severely damaged a candle factory in Kentucky, an Amazon warehouse in Illinois, a care home in Arkansas, as well as many homes and buildings.
Kentucky governor Andy Beshear said that many people were feared dead at the candle factory in the city of Mayfield, and described the situation as “tragic,” according to the Associated Press and other news agencies.
“There were about 110 people in it at the time that the tornado hit it,” Beshear reportedly remarked. “We believe we’ll lose at least dozens of those individuals. It’s very hard, really tough, and we’re praying for each and every one of those families.”
More soon.
