Weather

An Elmo doll is seen atop a community memorial in a decimated field on Tuesday in Mayfield, Ky. Images and video showed the town was devastated by tornadoes.

National

Searchers digging through mountains of debris left by deadly tornadoes in Kentucky

3:23pm December 14, 2021

by James Doubek

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said 74 people were confirmed killed and more than 100 are still unaccounted for. The victims who have been identified range in age from 2 months to 98 years.

National

Meteorologists want to confirm how many tornadoes touched down in Western Kentucky

7:57am December 14, 2021

by Derek Operle

The ferocity of Friday night's deadly tornadoes in western Kentucky is evident to anyone who sees the aftermath. The National Weather Service is trying to determine just how strong they were.

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Homeland Security secretary tours the damage from deadly weekend tornadoes

7:17am December 14, 2021

NPR's Rachel Martin speaks to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about the aftermath of deadly tornadoes in Kentucky and five other states. Dozens of people remain unaccounted for.

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Chief Geoffrey Deibler and dispatchers Meghan Collier (center) and Bobbie Brown of the Morganfield Police Department traveled to nearby Dawson Springs, Ky., to help look for survivors.

National

Kentucky crews search painstakingly for 109 people missing after deadly tornadoes

6:08am December 14, 2021

by Brian Mann

Gov. Andy Beshear said at least 74 people died statewide. The search for survivors has been slow going. Teams must move carefully and methodically as they pick through the rubble of demolished homes.

National

At least 8 died at the local candle factory in one of the areas hit hard by tornadoes

5:10pm December 13, 2021

by David Schaper

In western Kentucky, the city of Mayfield got walloped by Friday night's tornado. Huge swathes of the area were destroyed and an unknown number of people were killed.

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Civil engineer says buildings will need to prepare for stronger storms

4:54pm December 13, 2021

NPR's Audie Cornish chats with civil engineering expert David Prevatt about how to prepare buildings for tornadoes following a series of deadly storms.

Scientists are working to figure out how climate change influences tornadoes

4:54pm December 13, 2021

by Dan Charles

Tornadoes remain among the most unpredictable weather events. Unlike hurricanes, there's little evidence so far that the planet's warming climate is producing more of them, or more severe ones.

National

A rural community of 200 people in Kentucky lost 12 in tornado on Friday

4:44pm December 13, 2021

by Ryan Van Velzer

Bremen, Ky., population 200, was hard hit by Friday's tornado. At least 12 people were killed. Bremen is just one of several communities struggling with the loss and wondering how to recover.

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A cleanup worker walks past damaged trees and debris at the end of the day Sunday in Mayfield, Ky.

National

The full extent of weekend tornado damage might not be known for days, officials say

8:25am December 13, 2021

by Elena Moore

The unusual outbreak of dozens of tornadoes across several states was created by unseasonably warm and moist air.

BEFORE (left): Overview of Mayfield Consumer Products Candle Factory and nearby buildings before the tornado on Jan. 28, 2017. AFTER (right) Overview of the damage to the Mayfield Consumer Products Candle Factory and nearby buildings after the tornado on

National

Photos: Before and after satellite images reveal the extent of tornadoes' destruction

1:30pm December 12, 2021

by Elena Moore

The imagery shows the scale of the destruction in parts of Kentucky, Arkansas and Illinois.