Four days after a deadly tornado outbreak destroyed a number of communities across the Midwest and South, a new severe weather system spawned nearly a dozen more tornado reports and dumped softball-sized hailstones to storm-weary locations. At least five people were killed and many more injured in the pre-dawn storms, and AccuWeather forecasters warn that the dangerous storms will persist through the end of the week.
The continuation of severe weather was evident on Wednesday evening when a fatality was reported from storms in the Louisville, Kentucky area, according to Wave 3 News.
Early preliminary reports from the National Weather Service stated that an EF1 tornado touched down in the Newburg area. Maximum wind gusts from Wednesday’s storms were reported at 79 mph, with multiple reports of wind damage in the area, including downed power lines and an overturned semi-truck.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Wednesday that another person is in the hospital after a roof of an apartment complex was blown off in south Louisville.
An early-morning "damaging tornado" in southeastern Missouri was confirmed by the National Weather Service (NWS) just before 4 a.m. CDT. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) had reiterated the powerful language from the NWS, warning that a "strong tornado" with a rating of EF2 or EF3 was on the ground and urged residents to seek shelter.
Bollinger County Sheriff Casey A. Graham confirmed at least five people died in the Glenallen area as the destructive tornado tore through the southeastern part of the state. Their identities have not yet been released. The number of those injured or missing also was not released as state police assisted county and several local emergency agencies in search and rescue efforts.
Storm chaser Brandon Clement shared photos of homes severely damaged from the storm, but it wasn't until daylight that the sheer power of the tornado became clear. In a drone video shared by Clement, the widespread and extensive destruction was shocking. In Glenallen, located east of the Illionois-Missouri state line, several homes were missing roofs, large trees were uprooted and strewn about, and mobile homes and cars were overturned.