Memorial Day weekend storms: More than 450,000 without power as ‘violent’ tornados batter central US

The Indianapolis 500 started Sunday after a rain delay of four hours with NASCAR star Kyle Larson still at the track and in the race.

Larson is trying to run “The Double” and compete in both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. But the weather in Indianapolis on Sunday put a year’s worth of planning in jeopardy when a strong band of thunderstorms swept through Indianapolis Motor Speedway ahead of pre-race festivities.

IMS officials forced the evacuation of about 125,000 fans who had already arrived for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

When the storm cleared and after two hours of drying the 2.5-mile oval, track officials expected the race to complete all 200 laps before dusk. There is an 8:15 p.m. curfew to complete the race.

As millions of Americans in the central US prepare for strong storms to bring destruction, possible flooding and tornados, hundreds of thousands of others are doing so without power.

According to poweroutage.us more than 400,000 people are currently in the dark with more than 190,000 residents of Kentucky currently experiencing power outages. At least 70,000 people in Missouri and Arkansas also have no electricity.

Mass outages are also happening in Texas, Indiana and Kansas.

At least 15 people have died, including two children, in Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kentucky after violent storms ripped through the region, spawning tornados and leaving hundreds of thousands of residents without power during potentially record-breaking heat.

A powerful and violent tornado that caused expansive damage in Claremore, Oklahoma has been classified as an EF3.

The Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF) is what measures the destructive nature of a tornado by examining damage surveys and wind speeds.

An EF3 means the tornado had wind speeds of 136 to 165 mph.

A Texas resident shared a video from the terrifying moments a tornado struck the Shell gas station he and his sister took shelter in as severe storms struck the area over the weekend.

Conner Steins shared the video to X, which shows other people taking shelter in the aisles of the gas station market as destructive winds blew out the windows and sent debris scattering everwhere.

“Last night, my sister and I were driving on I-35 when the Valley View tornado hit the gas station. We pulled into the gas station so that I could look at radar, and then we took shelter. That being said, here is a view from inside the Shell gas station!” Steins wrote.

Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a post on X that one person died during the strong storms.

“Louisville, I’m sad to report we’ve had one fatality following the severe weather that just moved through the area and some structural damage reported. Please join me in holding this family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time — may their memory be a blessing,” he wrote.

Mr Greenberg warned residents of Louisville that more severe weather was expected Sunday night.

As of Sunday afternoon, more than 200,000 residents in Kentucky were without power.

The NWS Weather Prediction Center warned that the severe storms were shifting east and could bring heavy rain, thunderstorms or hail to parts of the Mid-Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys on Monday.

Storms currently over the central Plains and Ohio Valley are expected “to grow upscale and merge into a larger complex”, according to the weather warnings, while expanding through parts of Missouri, Illinois, western Kentucky and other neighboring states.

Meanwhile, dangerous and “potentially record-breaking” heat will continue to beat down on parts of Texas, the Western Gulf and southern Florida.

Multiple tornados ripped throughout Texas on Saturday evening with one plowing through Cooke County – approximately 50 miles north of Dallas – leaving seven people dead, including two children.

Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington confirmed that a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old were among those killed. The victims also included three family members who were found in a home near Valley View – a rural community close to the Oklahoma border.

“It’s just a trail of debris left. The devastation is pretty severe,” Mr Sappington said.