Stark before-and-after photos of St. Louis reveal destruction after deadly tornado
The tornado touched down in Clayton before tracking through several St. Louis neighborhoods, Forest Park and crossing the state line into Illinois.
St. Louis still removing debris days after deadly EF-3 tornado
Communities in St. Louis are still picking up the pieces after last Friday's EF-3 tornado killed five people and damaged more than 5,000 buildings. FOX Weather's Robert Ray is in the community.
ST. LOUIS – Before-and-after images snapped from space highlight the damage to St. Louis, days after an EF-3 tornado tore through the city, leaving five people dead.
St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said more than 5,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed by the tornado.
Storm damage is seen in the Forest Park neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri, on May 16, 2025.
(Aishah French / FOX Weather)
The twister touched down in Clayton before tracking through several St. Louis neighborhoods, Forest Park and crossing the state line into Illinois.
As the city works to clean up in the days since the storm, satellite images show the damage left behind in the northwest part of St. Louis.
Near Fairground Park, images from MAXAR Technologies in April showed the trees and grass a lush green. Homes and businesses are fully intact.
New images from Sunday, just two days after the storm, showed widespread damage across the neighborhood.
An image of the Fairgrounds area of St. Louis before a tornado on May 17, 2025.
(MAXAR / FOX Weather)
An image of the Fairgrounds area of St. Louis after a tornado on May 17, 2025.
(MAXAR / FOX Weather)
Close-ups showed damage along Natural Bridge Avenue.
Several blocks have damaged buildings, with debris scattered across parking lots and the median of Natural Bridge Avenue was a mess.
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An image of the Natural Bridge Avenue area of St. Louis before a tornado on May 17, 2025.
(MAXAR / FOX Weather)
An image of the Natural Bridge Avenue area of St. Louis after a tornado on May 17, 2025.
(MAXAR / FOX Weather)
More photos showed power crews in action, working to restore electricity to thousands of St. Louisans who lost power during the storm.
Dozens of electrical trucks are parked along the streets around damaged homes and businesses.
As of Tuesday, 17,000 people in the city were still without power, according to FindEnergy.com.
An image of the Lee Avenue area of St. Louis before a tornado on May 17, 2025.
(MAXAR / FOX Weather)
An image of the Lee Avenue area of St. Louis after a tornado on May 17, 2025.
(MAXAR / FOX Weather)
More satellite images from down the street on Ashland Avenue showed a once-normal-looking neighborhood now touched by disaster.
Debris littered the streets and some homes are destroyed, while others remain undisturbed as if nothing had happened.
An image of the Ashland Avenue area of St. Louis before the May 17, 2025, tornado.
(MAXAR / FOX Weather)
An image of the Ashland Avenue area of St. Louis after the May 17, 2025, tornado.
(MAXAR / FOX Weather)
Before-and-after photos from Nearmap show another part of the city in March and then after the twister.
The images showcased the extent of damage, with trees uprooted or knocked over.
An image of a St. Louis neighborhood before the May 17, 2025, tornado.
(Nearmap / FOX Weather)
An image of a St. Louis neighborhood after the May 17, 2025, tornado.
(Nearmap / FOX Weather)
Through loss and devastation, the city continues working around the clock to restore power and remove trees, Spencer said Tuesday morning. Crews are also working to repair traffic signals and fallen light poles.
Seven people died in Missouri, after two additional deaths were reported in the Bootheel in Scott County.
Donations to the City of St. Louis's tornado relief fund can be made by clicking this link.