US: Tornadoes hit several States, at least 50 people killed in Kentucky

At least five states were hit by tornadoes on Friday night, including Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas.

US Tornadoes hit several States, many people feared killed in Kentucky-dnm

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Kentucky, First Published Dec 11, 2021, 4:19 PM IST | Last Updated Dec 11, 2021, 4:19 PM IST

At least 50 people are likely dead after a tornado hit southwestern Kentucky late Friday, CNN reported, citing Andy Beshear, governor of Kentucky. A state of emergency has been declared based on major tornado damage in multiple Western Kentucky counties, said Beshear.

At least five states were hit by tornadoes on Friday night, including Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas, said Bill Bunting, operations chief at the Storm Prediction Center, part of the National Weather Service. At least 24 tornadoes were reported across five states according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, with officials in Arkansas.

Communities in at least five states scrambled early Saturday to assess the damage from a string of powerful storms and tornadoes the night before that killed at least one person at an Arkansas nursing home and caused a roof to collapse at an Amazon warehouse in Illinois, leaving workers trapped inside, NYTimes reported.

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A tornado hit the Arkansas nursing home, Monette Manor in the city of Monette, about 8:15 pm on Friday, prompting a large response from the police and emergency workers in the area, according to Marvin Day, the Craighead County judge.

A tornado warning was issued for the Nashville metro area around 3 a.m. local time, as "a confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado was located near Pegram, or 7 miles south of Ashland City, moving east at 50 mph," according to the National Weather Service, CNN reported.

Tornadoes are relatively small, short-lived weather events. Scientists are not yet able to determine whether there is a link between climate change and the frequency or strength of tornadoes, in part because they have a limited data record.

Still, researchers say that in recent years tornadoes seem to be occurring in greater “clusters,” and that a so-called tornado alley in the Great Plains — where most tornadoes occur — appears to be shifting eastward.

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