1 person died, 2 others were pulled from wreckage after a storm crumbled part of a St. Louis church
Share this @internewscast.com

One individual lost their life, and two others were rescued from the debris of a partially collapsed church on Friday following intense storms, which may have included a tornado, impacting St. Louis.

Numerous injuries were reported after the afternoon storms on Friday. These storms ravaged the area, removing roofs from buildings, tearing bricks from siding, toppling trees, and bringing down power lines, prompting authorities to advise residents to seek shelter.

At Centennial Christian Church, City of St. Louis Fire Department Battalion Chief William Pollihan informed The Associated Press that three people required rescuing after a section of the church collapsed. One of those individuals did not survive.

National Weather Service radar indicated that a tornado touched down between 2:30 p.m. and 2:50 p.m. in Clayton, Missouri, in the St. Louis area. It received reports of damages, mostly downed trees, weather service meteorologist Marshall Pfahler said.

The apparent tornado touched down in the area of Forest Park, home to the St. Louis Zoo and the site of the 1904 World’s Fair and Olympic Games the same year, Pfahler said.

The St. Louis Zoo posted a message on X, the messaging platform formerly known as Twitter, that it would remain closed for the rest of the day because of the weather. The post included no information on damages, a zoo spokesperson didn’t immediately return a phone message seeking comment.

“We can’t definitively say whether or not it was a tornado — it likely was,” Pfahler said.

Radar confirmed a tornado above Venice, Illinois, about 2:50 p.m. CDT. It could be accompanied by golf ball-size hail, the National Weather Service in St. Louis said. Venice is northeast of St. Louis, just across the Mississippi River.

The weather service described the tornado as “extremely dangerous” and moving east at 50 mph. The tornado is part of a severe weather system that spawned tornadoes in Wisconsin, downed trees, left thousands without power in the Great Lakes region and brought a punishing heat wave to Texas.

Weather forecasters warned that severe storms with hail and even hurricane-force winds also could hobble parts of Appalachia and the Midwest on Friday. Tornadoes were also a risk there.

The National Weather Service said severe weather was likely across parts of the central Appalachians and the Mid-Atlantic states. Residents in Kentucky, southern Indiana, southern Illinois, parts of Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas and Ohio should brace for intense storms that could include baseball-sized hail.

The weather service’s Storm Prediction Center said that “strong, potentially long-track tornadoes and very large hail” could be expected. The threat for damaging winds in excess of 75 mph will increase into this evening as storms grow into larger clusters.

Ahead of Friday night’s anticipated storm, Appalachian Power, which serves 1 million customers in West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee, said Friday it requested 1,700 additional workers from neighboring utilities along with sending its own crews from unaffected areas to assist with service restoration.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, in a post on the social media platform X, put residents on notice.

“Kentucky, there is a dangerous weather system moving through our state with a significant round this afternoon through tonight. Strong winds, hail, flooding and tornadoes are possible starting at 2 p.m. CT in Western Kentucky and reaching Louisville around 5 p.m. ET,” he said.

Shelters were opening in the Paducah, Kentucky, area.

Faith Borden, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service Nashville office, said Friday that middle Tennessee could expect “all types of severe weather. Winds up to 70 mph. We’re talking seriously large hail up to 3 inches, which for us is big hail.”

Texas, meanwhile, faced searing heat. A heat advisory was issued for the San Antonio and Austin, with temperatures at a blistering 95 F (35 C) to 105 (40.5 C). Parts of the southern East Coast, from Virginia to Florida, battled with heat in the 90s.

The National Weather Service Office for Austin/San Antonio said Friday the humidity coming in over the weekend is expected to make temperatures hotter.

“There are concerns of heat exhaustion for people that aren’t taking proper precautions when they’re outdoors,” meteorologist Jason Runyen said. He advised those affected to take breaks and stay hydrated.

Overnight Thursday, storms accompanied by booming thunder, lightning displays and powerful winds swept through parts of Wisconsin, Illinois, northern Indiana and Michigan — leaving scores of trees down and thousands of homes without power.

Several tornadoes touched down Thursday in central Wisconsin. None of the twisters have received ratings yet, said Timm Uhlmann, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Green Bay.

“We’re still gathering reports,” Uhlmann said. “We’re assessing some of the damage and still getting video and pictures. The damage that we have is fairly widespread. There was a lot of large hail. In Eau Claire was one report of softball-sized hail.”

No injuries have been reported.

Surveys also were underway Friday of damage in Michigan to determine if any tornadoes touched down there, said Steven Freitag, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in White Lake Township, northwest of Detroit.

The storms were fueled by temperatures in the lower 80s that stretched from Illinois into Michigan and were activated by a cold front that pushed through, Freitag said.

By midday Friday, about 230,000 customers were without power in Michigan. An estimated 60,000 were without power in Indiana. Another 27,000 in total had no electricity in Illinois and Kentucky.

The threat of severe weather in Chicago delayed a Beyonce concert by about two hours Thursday at Soldier Field.

___

Associated Press writer Haya Panjwani in Washington and Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri, contributed to this story.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Navy sailor vanishes without a trace as mother reveals concerning break in daily habit

Navy Sailor Mysteriously Disappears: Mother Highlights Unusual Change in Routine

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Virginia authorities are searching…
Kilmar Abrego Garcia indicted on human trafficking charges, ordered to appear before judge in Nashville

Kilmar Abrego Garcia Faces Human Trafficking Charges, Must Appear in Nashville Court

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia,…
Ex-sheriff accused of shooting judge in chambers says state skirted law, should toss murder case: report

Former Sheriff Claims State Violated Legal Procedures, Seeks Dismissal of Judge’s Chambers Shooting Case: Report

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The legal team representing…
Jiu-jitsu students grappling on a mat.

Terrifying Incident: Jiu-Jitsu Student Paralyzed from Neck Down After Being Slammed by Instructor ‘Sinistro’

THIS is the horror moment a jiu-jitsu student was left paralysed from…
Former cop mom slams policies that let illegal alien allegedly strike son in hit-and-run: ‘A lot of problems’

Ex-police officer mother criticizes policies allowing undocumented immigrant to allegedly hit her son in hit-and-run: ‘Numerous Issues’

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A former police officer…
Peruvian migrant acquitted in the first trial over the new militarized zone at US-Mexico border

Peruvian Migrant Cleared in Landmark Trial on New Military-Enforced Zone at US-Mexico Border

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — On Thursday, a Peruvian woman who had…
Notorious 'Devil in the Ozarks' finally caught after weeks-long manhunt that drew multiple agencies

Infamous ‘Devil in the Ozarks’ Captured Following Weeks-Long Multi-Agency Search

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Escapee Grant Hardin, a…
Experienced climber dies after 3,000-foot plummet from North America's highest peak

Veteran Mountaineer Falls 3,000 Feet to His Death from Highest Summit in North America

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A Seattle man died…
Jennifer Garner kisses boyfriend John Miller in rare PDA pics

Jennifer Garner and Boyfriend John Miller Share a Rare Public Kiss in New Photos

Things are heating up between Jennifer Garner and her boyfriend John Miller.…
Hundreds of teenagers transform peaceful beach into chaos as police forced to break up fights

Large Teen Gathering Turns Tranquil Beach into Turmoil, Prompting Police to Intervene

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A group of around…
Chinese bioterror suspects' arrests signal communist country plotting 'something worse' than COVID: expert

Arrests of Chinese bioterror suspects hint at nation planning something more dangerous than COVID: analyst

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Following ongoing incidents of…
Panthers win Stanley Cup Final Game 2 over Oilers in double OT

Panthers Triumph Over Oilers in Double Overtime to Take Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final

EDMONTON, Alberta — Brad Marchand secured a victory for the defending champion…