Residents in St. Louis, surrounding areas in Missouri and parts of Kentucky were hit by destructive tornadoes on Friday, May 16. The twister left countless structures damaged, power lines down and at least 100,000 people without power — not to mention the dozens of tragic casualties that were reported.
Mayor Cara Spencer said in a public statement that the “loss of life and the destruction [are] truly, truly horrendous.”
“We’re going to have a lot of work to do in the coming days,” she added. “There is no doubt there, but tonight, we are focused on saving lives and keeping people safe and allowing our community to grieve.”
Governor Andy Beshear doubled down on Spencer’s points by tweeting, “Kentucky, we are waking up to the news of multiple fatalities from last night’s storms. Please pray for those impacted. We will update as soon as we have more information.”
Below, get updates on the severity and destruction of the St. Louis tornado.
Kentucky we are waking up to the news of multiple fatalities from last night’s storms. Please pray for those impacted. We will update as soon as we have more information. ^AB
— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) May 17, 2025
How Many Tornadoes Has St. Louis Had in History?
At least 1,000 tornadoes have been recorded in Missouri history since 1871, with dozens hitting St. Louis since then. The 1896 twister that hit the county was the third deadliest one in United States history. The disaster injured at least 1,000 people and killed hundreds of others. In 1927, the second costliest in the U.S. tornado hit St. Louis.
St. Louis Tornado Damage
According to multiple outlets, Missouri officials reported that 5,000 structures were severely damaged by the tornado. Roofs collapsed, and power lines also fell down.
Additionally, more than 100,000 properties in St. Louis lost power .
How Many People Died from the Kentucky & Missouri Tornadoes?
At the time of publication, at least 21 people were pronounced dead from the tornado, according to BBC. Fourteen of those victims were dead in Kentucky, with Governor Beshear tweeting, “Sadly, this number is expected to grow as we receive more information.”
In Missouri, five people died in St. Louis County, and two more were pronounced dead in Scott County, according to NBC News.