Editor’s note: This page is a summary of severe weather news for Monday, May 27. For the latest weather news, see the Tuesday, May 28 file.
A wave of severe storms that killed at least 22 people in four states over the holiday weekend reached the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast Monday night but are expected to weaken by midday Tuesday, bringing sunny skies and highs in the low 80s Fahrenheit.
If only the southern part of the country was so lucky.
The summer-like temperatures that hit a wide swath from South Texas to Florida on Memorial Day are expected to continue for several more days, according to the National Weather Service.
The weather service said high pressure aloft “is expected to produce a dangerous early spring heat wave across South Texas, the central Gulf Coast and South Florida. Temperatures will reach or near record levels, with heat indexes in the region potentially reaching over 115 degrees Fahrenheit.”
Parts of Texas and the Mid-South are still reeling from the aftermath of this devastating weekend, with tornadoes and storms destroying hundreds of homes and killing at least eight people in Arkansas, seven in Texas, five in Kentucky and two in Oklahoma, according to officials, while a rancher and 34 of his cattle were killed by lightning in Colorado.
As of 9:30 p.m. ET on Monday, more than 280,000 homes and businesses were without power, mostly across a swath that stretches from Missouri and Arkansas in the west to Virginia and Georgia in the east. By far the largest number of outages was in Kentucky, with more than 98,000.
Developmental status:
The National Weather Service announced via X that a tornado warning has been issued for parts of Washington, DC, Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina until 11 p.m. Monday.
The Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch until 9 p.m. Monday for New York City, northeastern New Jersey and the lower Hudson Valley as thunderstorms and showers approached from the southwest.
Storms that hit New York on Monday caused hours of flight delays as nearly 44 million people were expected to travel over the holiday. At LaGuardia Airport, flights were delayed an average of 1 hour and 40 minutes on Monday afternoon, while traffic into Newark Airport was delayed an average of 3 hours and 27 minutes, according to the FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center.
Seven deaths reported in Texas, including two children
Texas Governor Greg Abbott confirmed Sunday that tornadoes and other severe weather struck North Texas, about 70 miles north of Fort Worth, leaving seven people dead and at least 100 injured in the state.
Cook County Sheriff Ray Sappington said the dead included two children, ages 2 and 5.
Sappington told local news station WFAA that a tornado struck southern Cook County and parts of Denton County on Saturday night, and that between 60 and 80 people were taking shelter in a travel center to escape the storm, he said.
“It took a while to get back to the scene because there were power lines damaged and trees down,” he said.
Governor Abbott said at least 200 homes and buildings were destroyed and 120 damaged after the tornado ripped through about 50 square miles of Texas, and said he would be “shocked” if that number did not rise as damage assessments continued.
The damage comes just days after another tornado wreaked havoc in Central Texas, downing power lines and crushing roofs. “The hopes and dreams of Texas families and small businesses have been literally shattered by storm after storm,” said Governor Abbott. The disaster declaration he issued earlier this month now covers 106 counties.
Abbott said search and rescue efforts were underway, and several disaster relief organizations had sent volunteers to help those affected.
Eight deaths reported in Arkansas, two deaths in Oklahoma
At least eight people were killed in Arkansas after a tornado ripped through northwestern Arkansas. The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-3 tornado Sunday night near the city of Decatur, about 10 miles east of the Oklahoma border.
The weather service said Monday that a preliminary EF-2 tornado was confirmed in Paragould, near the state’s northeast border.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an emergency order Sunday allocating $250,000 for disaster relief.
“I think people just have to be patient and understand that we’re not going to recover from this overnight,” said Rep. Steve Womack, R-Arkansas.
In Oklahoma, the severe storm killed two people in the town of Pryor, about 50 miles east of Tulsa, the Oklahoma Emergency Management Agency confirmed. The storm left about 8,400 people without power.
The tornado struck the northeastern California city of Claremore, causing “extensive, widespread damage” and “downed trees, power lines and significant damage to properties,” Mayor John Feary said. The storm injured 23 people in the city, three of them with life-threatening injuries, Feary said.
The Red Cross also opened two evacuation centers in the area in response to the storm.
Five people killed in Kentucky
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency early Monday after at least five people were killed in the severe storm that struck Louisville on Sunday afternoon. One person is “in jeopardy for their life,” Beshear said at a press conference.
After four people died in the initial storms, the governor told CNN that a fifth died after suffering a heart attack from heat stroke while cleaning up. “This series of storms has certainly been devastating for Kentucky,” Governor Beshear said.
Among those who died were a 67-year-old woman in Mercer County, a 62-year-old woman in Hardin County, a 48-year-old woman in Hopkins County and a 34-year-old man in Jefferson County.
The National Weather Service confirmed that at least one tornado touched down in Mayfield in the southwestern part of the state. At a press conference, Governor Beshear said the tornadoes traveled about 40 miles, adding that some of the tornadoes “touched down and then picked up again.”
Kentucky Transportation Secretary Jim Gray said the severe weather hit the western part of the state hardest, causing damage to the state’s highways and roads.
One of the storm’s “most significant impacts” was a fuel spill when a jetty collapsed at Dale Hollow Lake, a reservoir on the Tennessee border. Beshear said the Department of Energy and Environment had sent a hazardous materials team to assess the situation.
Colorado rancher killed by lightning
Severe thunderstorms raged across the central U.S. over the weekend, and on Saturday a rancher and 34 head of cattle were killed when lightning struck the town of Rand, Colorado, about 80 miles northwest of Denver, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said in a news release that Mike Morgan, 51, of Walden, Colorado, was feeding cattle when he was struck. Morgan was pronounced dead at the scene “despite life-saving efforts by bystanders and emergency personnel,” the release said.
“On a personal note, Mike Morgan was an outstanding member of the community and will be greatly missed,” sheriff’s office spokeswoman Megan Rickels said in an email to USA Today.
What to do if a tornado warning is issued:How to stay safe at home, outdoors and in your car
The storm is expected to move east on Memorial Day.
The storm is expected to weaken as it moves through the East Coast and Southeast on Monday, but damaging wind gusts are still expected, including the risk of localized tornadoes.
Tornado watches were in effect through Monday night for parts of Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. A coastal flood watch was issued for the District of Columbia early Monday morning.
In New York, severe thunderstorms are expected to move through the New York metropolitan area through Monday night, bringing up to 2 inches of rain and “localized flooding,” the weather service said.
Severe weather, including localized severe thunderstorms, was expected to return to parts of Central Texas and Oklahoma Monday afternoon and continue through the night, according to the National Weather Service.
Severe thunderstorm watches were also in effect for parts of Georgia and South Carolina through Monday afternoon, with the weather service saying hail up to one inch and one or two tornadoes were possible in the area.
Wind gusts of up to 75 mph were possible in southern Arkansas, northern Louisiana and parts of Mississippi and Alabama, according to AccuWeather.
Contributors: Olivia Evans, Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal; Reuters
Cybele Mayes-Osterman is a breaking news reporter for USA Today. Email her at cmayesosterman@usatoday.com. Follow her at X @CybeleMO.
