Kentucky Tornado Outbreak Amid Staffing Shortages as Severe Weather Season Continues

Kentucky Tornado Outbreak Amid Staffing Shortages as Severe Weather Season Continues

  • May 2025 (Earlier in the month): Five former directors of the National Weather Service write a "letter to the American people" expressing concern about staffing shortages and reduced resources, such as weather balloon deployments.
  • May 15, 2025: USA TODAY publishes an article highlighting that National Weather Service offices are short-staffed following Trump administration cuts, with some offices no longer operating 24/7. The article also mentions offers for current employees to transfer to fill 155 vacant positions, including 76 meteorologist positions.
  • May 16, 2025 (Thursday): The National Weather Service office in Jackson, Kentucky, recognizing the threat of a major severe weather outbreak, decides to fully staff the overnight shift despite being short-staffed.
  • May 17, 2025 (Friday): A severe weather system sweeps through the central U.S., including Missouri and Kentucky.
  • Afternoon Rush Hour (St. Louis): The path of destruction from a likely tornado begins on a major thoroughfare in St. Louis before moving east.
  • Friday (Throughout the day): A tornado strikes several rural areas in Scott County, Missouri, killing two people and injuring several others.
  • Friday (Throughout the day): Five people die and 38 are injured in the St. Louis area. Over 5,000 homes in the city are affected.
  • Friday (Overnight into Saturday): A devastating tornado impacts Laurel County, Kentucky, at 11:49 p.m.
  • May 17, 2025 (Saturday):
  • Morning: As of Saturday morning, at least 21 people have died across Missouri and Kentucky (14 in Kentucky, 7 in Missouri). The death toll is expected to rise.
  • Saturday: Rescue teams continue searching for survivors in damaged areas.
  • Saturday (Throughout the day): City inspectors in St. Louis begin condemning unsafe structures.
  • Saturday evening: Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear confirms at least 18 deaths in Kentucky and speaks at a press conference in London, Kentucky.
  • Saturday evening: St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer confirms five deaths in the city, over 30 injuries, and approximately 5,000 impacted buildings.
  • Saturday night (9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sunday): A curfew is in effect in St. Louis due to downed power lines and to protect property.
  • May 18, 2025 (Sunday):
  • As of Sunday, the death toll from the recent storms across multiple states exceeds two dozen.
  • Sunday: In London, Kentucky, people whose houses were destroyed work to salvage belongings and put up tarps. Zach Wilson describes the scene at his parents' ruined home.
  • Sunday: St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson warns residents to prepare for approaching weather.
  • Sunday: The National Weather Service warns of a "multitude of hazardous weather" expected over the next several days.
  • Sunday: City inspectors continue to assess damaged areas in St. Louis and condemn unsafe structures.
  • Sunday: Authorities confirm two storm-related deaths in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., caused by falling trees.
  • Sunday: The NWS Employees Union confirms that short staffing at the Jackson, Kentucky office did not affect tornado warnings for the deadly storms.
  • Week of May 19, 2025:
  • More severe storms are expected to roll across the central U.S.
  • Thunderstorms are expected to develop in the afternoon and persist into the evening across parts of the Plains into the Ozarks.
  • Another storm system is expected to pick up to the west, with strong tornadoes in the forecast for parts of the Plains by Sunday.

Episoder(208)

Florida Expecting Impact from Hurricane Milton with Dangerous Storm Surge and 110 mph Winds

Florida Expecting Impact from Hurricane Milton with Dangerous Storm Surge and 110 mph Winds

Tropical Storm Milton is another rapidly developing tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico that is expected to strengthen into Hurricane Milton and make landfall on the West Coast of Florida as a Category 2 hurricane around Wednesday. The forecast emphasizes the potential for significant storm surge and heavy rainfall, urging residents of Central and South Florida to stay informed and prepared. While the exact path and intensity of the storm are uncertain, remember that the effects can be for reaching from the center of the storm at landfall. There's also the increasing likelihood of a dangerous storm surge event along Florida's Gulf coast with some areas to be impacted already having been by hurricane Helene just a short time ago.

5 Okt 202413min

Growing Insurance Failures Take Spotlight After Hurricane Helene

Growing Insurance Failures Take Spotlight After Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene is a major disaster that highlights the growing economic risks associated with climate change. While the financial impact of the hurricane is significant, with estimates reaching over $100 billion with long-term implications for communities, businesses, and individuals. Climate change will increasingly lead to "known unknowns" - events that we know will happen but cannot predict their exact timing or location. Adaptation, investing in preventative measures, and the need for governments and companies to take proactive steps to mitigate the financial and social consequences of these events is vital to move forward.Suggested questions

5 Okt 20246min

Hurricane Helene’s Toxic Flood Waters

Hurricane Helene’s Toxic Flood Waters

There’s a hidden danger of toxic chemical releases from industrial facilities during hurricanes. Limited disclosure requirements and insufficient public information about these risks leave communities unprepared and unaware of the potential consequences. Red tide has been detected in Pinellas County waters following Hurricane Helene. This poses an additional health risk for residents already dealing with storm damage and cleanup, as red tide can cause respiratory problems and potentially harm marine life.

4 Okt 20247min

Hurricane Helene - HAARP Engineered and Steered to Wipe Out a Town

Hurricane Helene - HAARP Engineered and Steered to Wipe Out a Town

Conspiracy theories circulate about Hurricane Helene, which struck Florida in September 2024 and wreaked havoc upon upstate North Carolina. Some theories claim the hurricane was intentionally manipulated to impact Republican areas, while others suggest it was engineered to clear land for lithium mining. We also examine theories claiming the hurricane was created or guided by technology, such as HAARP, frequency transmitters, or cloud seeding. While lithium is on the mind of conspiracy theorist, a real life quartz mining facility has been severely impacted by Helene, which could cause supply chain disruptions for weeks or months.

4 Okt 202410min

Hurricane Ian: Investigation Shows Homeowners Insurance Companies Not Paying Up After 2 Years

Hurricane Ian: Investigation Shows Homeowners Insurance Companies Not Paying Up After 2 Years

A 60 Minutes report on insurer fraud in Florida following Hurricane Ian shows that numerous companies have systematically changed reports in order to deny homeowners of up to 90% of the payment they deserve after catastrophic losses. It focuses on the claims of several licensed adjusters, who allege that insurance carriers were purposefully altering damage reports to reduce payouts to homeowners. These adjusters claim that their reports were edited by desk adjusters who had never even visited the damaged properties, reducing the amount of money the homeowners received. The report alleges that this practice was widespread, affecting many homeowners who were left with significant damage and insufficient funds to repair their homes… and are still awaiting justice even today. While these charges have been presented to the Florida Attorney General’s office, they have failed to prosecute 2 years after Ian struck Southwest Florida in 2022.

3 Okt 202411min

Asheville - Climate Change “Safe Haven”?

Asheville - Climate Change “Safe Haven”?

We explore the devastating floods that hit Asheville, North Carolina, after Hurricane Helene, challenging the city's former reputation as a "climate haven." It explains that climate change is making intense rainfall events more frequent and severe, leaving even high-elevation areas vulnerable. Climate change is exacerbating flooding risks across the United States, including in Appalachia, where the terrain amplifies the impact of heavy rains. We also compare the recent floods to the "Great Flood" of 1916, highlighting the catastrophic devastation caused by heavy rainfall and emphasizing the historical context of similar events in the region. Damage from Helene is extensive, causing significant problems with infrastructure and prompting relief efforts as the full extent of the impact still remains unknown.

3 Okt 202410min

What’s Your Flood Risk? Tools to Help you Determine

What’s Your Flood Risk? Tools to Help you Determine

How to determine flood risk for properties in the United States. Yale Climate brings us tools and resources, categorized by the type of information they provide, and it critiques the accuracy and limitations of each. These tools are essential in an era of increasing flood risk due to climate change. We discuss the new Risk Rating 2.0 system implemented by the National Flood Insurance Program, which aims to ensure future payouts do not exceed premiums.

3 Okt 202411min

Hurricane Helene - Bomb after the Lull

Hurricane Helene - Bomb after the Lull

The 2024 Atlantic Hurricane season began as a beast with Hurricane Beryl setting the stage for what was predicted to be an overactive hurricane season. With an August and early September peak season lull, forecasters were questioning the reasoning for the season bottoming out. Then intro Hurricane Helene. Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph and a storm surge of 20 feet causing not only one of the highest surges seen in the state of Florida, but also some of the highest storm surge ever recorded in the Tampa Bay Area. As a weakening storm system, Helene continued to dump excess amounts of rain through parts of Georgia and Appalachia, causing serious flash flooding that has caused the death toll to spike in recent days as rescuers scramble to sift through the destruction. Some people are wondering how a warming climate may have been a factor in supercharging Helene

3 Okt 202411min

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