Over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, a series of severe storms ravaged the central and southern United States, resulting in at least 22 fatalities and widespread devastation. The storms inflicted significant damage in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kentucky, where homes and businesses were destroyed, and power outages were rampant. Concurrently, an early-season heat wave broke temperature records from South Texas to Florida.
Meteorologists warned that the severe weather could potentially shift to the East Coast later on Monday, advising the millions of people engaging in outdoor activities for the holiday to remain vigilant. A tornado watch was issued for areas from North Carolina to Maryland.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who had previously declared a state of emergency, confirmed during a press conference on Monday that five individuals had died in Kentucky. The fifth victim, a 54-year-old man, succumbed to a heart attack while clearing fallen trees in Caldwell County, located in western Kentucky. The overall death toll of 22 also encompassed seven fatalities in Cooke County, Texas, where a tornado on Saturday devastated a mobile home park, and eight deaths across Arkansas. In Mayes County, Oklahoma, which is situated east of Tulsa, two individuals perished, including guests at an outdoor wedding.
The small town of Charleston, Kentucky, was the latest community to be severely impacted, with a tornado striking directly on Sunday night. Governor Beshear indicated that the tornado appeared to have remained on the ground for approximately 40 miles (64 kilometers). Charleston resident and nearby Dawson Springs fire chief Rob Linton described the scene as chaotic, with widespread destruction including downed trees, displaced houses, and severed power lines, resulting in a complete loss of utilities, including water and electricity.
Further east, rural areas of Hopkins County, particularly around the community of Barnsley, which had previously been struck by a tornado in 2021, sustained additional damage on Sunday night, according to county Emergency Management Director Nick Bailey.
