At least four people died and others were hurt after severe storms including a possible tornado swept through St Louis on Friday, as tens of millions of Americans in multiple states braced for possible damage from expected high winds and severe weather this weekend.
St Louis mayor Cara Spencer confirmed the deaths after storms tore roofs off some buildings, ripped away brick facades and downed trees and power lines as residents were urged to take cover.
According to the National Weather Service, a “very active and complex mid-May weather pattern” is set to bring about heavy rain, high winds and anomalous temperatures throughout the US this weekend and until at least next Tuesday.
Accuweather warned that from Friday to Saturday, some 150 million Americans could potentially be affected by severe weather.
The NWS has cited primary risks to be large hail, with some being more than 2in in diameter, damaging wind gusts and tornadoes.
Across the mid-Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio valleys, severe thunderstorm outbreaks are expected to last from Friday till at least Sunday with the possibility of a few intense supercells, a type of thunderstorm that contains a deep and persistent rotating updraft.
During the evening and overnight hours, the supercells may carry the potential for large hail and tornadoes, the NWS warned.
The agency’s storm-prediction center has issued a moderate risk warning for severe weather centered over the lower Ohio valley, where the greatest concern exists for several strong tornadoes. Meanwhile, a slight risk of excessive rainfall has been issued for the region.
According to the NWS, residents and travelers should remain aware of where the nearest storm shelter or safe place is, should severe thunderstorms approach.
Additionally, tornado watches have been issued for parts of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri until 10pm CDT Friday evening. According to the NWS, widespread hail up to the size of a tennis ball is likely, in addition to wind gusts that are expected to travel up to 80mph (130km/h).
With the eastern parts of the country expected to be hit hard with thunderstorms and potential tornadoes, the NWS has also warned about an unusual early-season heat wave coming out of south Texas.
With highs expected to reach near record-breaking territory and go into the 90s, as well as triple digits expected for parts of the region, the weather is set to produce widespread major to extreme heat risk throughout this weekend.
Although triple-digit weather is common for the state during summers, this year’s early season heat is unusual, making Texas hotter than California’s Death Valley, the hottest place on Earth.
The severe weather events across the US come amid a growing global climate crisis, largely due to human activity, including the burning of fossil fuels. Last year was confirmed as the hottest year on record as carbon emissions hit an all-time high.
Recently, leading climate scientists discovered that the four-day historic storm that wreaked havoc across the central Mississippi valley and killed 24 people in early April was made more severe by the burning of fossil fuels.
Yet, despite the increasing frequency of such severe weather events, Donald Trump’s administration has issued a wave of rollbacks on environmental regulations. In addition to widespread dismissals across federal agencies, federal websites have been purged of information pertaining to climate change and extreme weather events since Trump took office in January.
