Kentucky tornadoes leave at least 14 dead as severe weather outbreak tears across Ohio Valley

Deadly tornado tears through London, Kentucky

Emergency officials report multiple deaths and several injured as a tornado tore through London during a severe weather outbreak Friday night. 

LONDON, Ky. -- A tornado outbreak that swept through the Ohio Valley Friday night left more than a dozen people dead and several more seriously injured in Kentucky as rescue crews were frantically searching damaged cities for other victims into Saturday morning.

"Daylight is painting a more complete, and more painful picture of the damage and loss that devastating storms have wreaked upon the Commonwealth this Friday and Saturday," Kentucky Emergency Management officials posted Saturday morning.

Some of the towns hardest hit by large tornadoes on Friday night were the Somerset area and London, where local officials reported nine deaths amid significant damage.

"Multiple fatalities have been confirmed as a result of a tornado that pummeled Laurel County late Friday evening," Laurel County Fiscal Court posted on Facebook, citing the Laurel-Whitley County Emergency Management Office. "Destroyed homes and buildings are still being searched by emergency responders."

The Laurel County Sheriff's Office says the tornado touched down just before midnight and tore through two neighborhoods and the London Corbin Airport area, "causing mass casualties in its path." So far, the agency reports at least 12 people have died in the county and "numerous severe injuries occurred to others."

Video from London shot by emergency officials shows extensive damage with multiple homes destroyed and vehicles barely recognizable as debris littered the neighborhood and lightning still flashed in the background.

Deadly tornado leaves trail of damage in London, Kentucky

A tornado that swept through London, Kentucky Friday night left multiple people dead and a wide swath of significant damage.

"(My daughter) got scared so we went to the hallway," a woman named Leslie who survived the storm with her family, told emergency officials in the video. "And we were in there about two minutes and then my husband came running in and pretty much jumped on top of her because you could feel the air sucking in, and it sounded like a train. And then we saw stuff falling and next thing you knew, most of the house was gone."

After the tornado hit, they said they had to go looking for shoes and car keys to get out. Their car was damaged and covered in mud, but still started.

Damage left after a deadly tornado struck London, Kentucky on May 16, 2025.

(Laurel County (Ky) Fiscal Court / FOX Weather)

"My family's OK, I don't know about everybody else," she said, adding she saw some of her neighbors had been injured.

The office also reported multiple serious injuries in town as damage was found strewn around the London-Corbin Airport, Jackson Wilderness Road Park and Oaks of London. subdivisions.

Somerset business district takes direct hit from deadly twister

Kentucky communities reeling after deadly storms slam the state

Somerset. Kentucky is one city hit by severe storms Friday night. Mayor Alan Keck joins FOX Weather to give an update on how things are going in the hours since the storm.

Just to the west of London, Somerset mayor Alan Keck declared a state of emergency in his city as "damage is extensive and loss of life occurred, the extent of which is not fully reported as of this (declaration)."

"It was a really scary night," Keck told FOX Weather Saturday morning. "This really hit our business community, (the tornado) went right through our commercial corridor. It was a tough night."

Damage left after a tornado struck Somerset, Kentucky on May 16, 2025.

(Alan Keck, Somerset Mayor / FOX Weather)

While at least one person died in the storms in his city, Keck said the tornado spared hundreds of homes.

"I want to start with some gratitude that it could have been so much worse," he said. "If you look at the path through Somerset, candidly, it's remarkable that it didn't do more damage to residential homes... There were close to 200 apartments right behind (the tornado path) that didn't get hit. It was almost as if the storm lifted up before it got to the next neighborhood… It really could have been monumentally worse."

Gov. Andy Beshar said so far, the death toll across the entire state stands at 14 as of early Saturday morning. 

Damage left after a tornado struck Somerset, Kentucky on May 16, 2025.

(Alan Keck, Somerset Mayor / FOX Weather)

"But sadly, this number is expected to grow as we receive more information," he posted on X.

Beshars said the state remains in an active rescue phase. Over 100,000 people in Kentucky remain without power and five counties are in a state of emergency. He plans to visit London to survey the damage later Saturday.

"Please pray for all of our affected families," he said.