ROSALIND EARLY
Crews clean up fallen tree limbs at Kirkwood Baptist Church after a weak tornado hit the area.
Torrential rains and severe thunderstorms hit St. Louis during rush hour yesterday, and an EF-0 tornado swept through Kirkwood traveling northeast to Warson Woods in an evening of severe weather.
The National Weather Service says the tornado had winds of up to 80 miles per hour and was on the ground for five minutes. The tornado had a maximum width of 75 yards. Most of the damage is from fallen trees and tree limbs. A home was also damaged in Glendale when a tree fell on it. There are no reports of injuries or deaths.
"We were hunkered down in the basement," says Terri Nappier, a Kirkwood resident. "After the storm, we ventured out and saw large trees downed. One tree on Sappington took out the power, which was just restored this morning."
Last night, Ameren reported that 11,000 people were without power. This morning it appears there are still nearly 2,000 customers in Missouri and about 3,700 in Illinois without power.
Flooding was also reported across St. Louis. On Reddit, a user shared an image of Bates Street completely flooded, saying he got two to three feet of water in his basement in the space of 25 minutes. News outlets also reported submerged cars as floods surged over I-55 near Loughborough in south St. Louis City.
Of course, this being St. Louis, people also made jokes about ignoring the tornado sirens.
"Tornado Watch equals 'Tornado! Watch!'" one Reddit user posted.
"First time we heard it, we were on 40 not knowing what to do. We took an exit and saw someone walking their dog. We got back on 40 and went home," another commenter wrote.
Please St. Louis, take shelter when there's a tornado watch (meaning hey, there could be a tornado) or tornado warning (which means a tornado has been spotted). Do not try to go out on your lawn and look at it.
More thunderstorms are likely tonight between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. according to the National Weather Service, and on Saturday, t-storms are likely in the afternoon.
