Severe weather impacted the Central, Midwest, and Southern U.S. regions from May 15 through Memorial Day Weekend, with deadly tornadoes, hail, and flash flooding hitting several states, causing around $5 billion in losses for the insurance and reinsurance industry, according to Artemis, and from $9 to $11 billion in total damages and economic loss, according to AccuWeather.
The tornado outbreaks are being regarded as “the costliest severe weather event of 2025,” after it caused “substantial economic and insured losses, with Cotality estimating that approximately 63,000 properties may have been damaged nationwide and total reconstruction costs nearing $16 billion,” according to Reinsurance News.
Impacts of the Weather
The severe weather overall was responsible for nearly 300 reports of high winds, hail, and tornadoes since Monday, May 19, alone, in states such as Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas, according to AccuWeather. “In addition to potentially strong and long-tracked tornadoes, the powerful systems produced wind gusts over 70mph and baseball-sized hail,” states a weather.com report. Notable tornadoes included an EF2 tornado in Wisconsin near New Richmond Thursday, May 15; an EF3 tornado that hit St. Louis; and EF4 tornadoes that hit Marion, Illinois and London, Kentucky on Friday, May 16.
On Monday, May 19, severe storms struck the Plains and the Midwest, states weather.com. Hail up to 4.5 inches in diameter was reported in Montague County, TX, while several tornadoes hit Pittsburg and Oklahoma, and wind gusts up to 75 mph struck the Kansas City metro area.
The weather killed over two dozen people and destroyed thousands of homes and buildings. “Around 115,000 customers were left without power in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri, according to PowerOutage.us,” AP News reports. At least 19 people were killed in Kentucky, the state hardest hit by the storms, alone. Seven were killed in Missouri, and two were killed in northern Virginia.
Missouri and Kentucky have begun cleanup efforts. “In London, [Kentucky], where the devastation was centered, the small airport became a beehive of cleanup work after it took a direct hit from a tornado. Small aircraft stored there had large dents in them and even wings ripped open.” It was being used as a base to get water, food, diapers, and other supplies to the community, the AP report states.
Meanwhile, the tornado that hit St. Louis killed five people, injured 38, and damaged over 5,000 homes, with wind speeds having reached up to 150 mph. Damages are estimated to exceed $1.6 billion. “The city is awaiting a disaster declaration from the governor’s office as a first step to getting federal assistance,” states AP News. The city is still waiting on relief from a deadly storm that Missouri, along with other states in the South and Midwest, faced in March.
More Severe Weather Over Memorial Day Weekend
Severe weather continued through Memorial Day Weekend, with thunderstorms were on track to “erupt from portions of central and southern Texas to southern Oklahoma and southwestern Arkansas,” according to AccuWeather.
USA Today reports that “forecasters warned of excessive rainfall and severe thunderstorms over parts of the Southern Plains, as well as the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys on May 26,” and flood watches were issued over areas of Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. The region already had several days of rainfall since Friday, May 23. Severe weather and heavy rain were also expected across the Plains and areas of the South. “This is partially due to the jet stream, where warm and cold air masses separate, being set up over the same areas [that saw] rain and storms for the holiday weekend.”
Meanwhile, “An intense supercell thunderstorm brought significant hail in Afton, Texas on May 26,” after which hailstones the size of softballs were collected, according to AccuWeather. ABC News also reported that six tornadoes (five in Texas and one in New Mexico) were recorded.