
鈥淚 believe God said he wanted our love to stay true,鈥 said Marcus Cole, after finding his wife鈥檚 undamaged roses on a kitchen table while he salvaged belongings from his destroyed home in the 4100 block of Scotch Drive in Bridgeton on Saturday, March 15, 2025. The family has established a GoFundMe聽account to help them rebuild.
JEFFERSON COUNTY 鈥 At least 12 people were killed across Missouri in a tornado outbreak overnight, including one fatality in Jefferson County and one in 果酱视频 County. The storm system damaged homes and businesses throughout the 果酱视频 region.
Six deaths were reported in Wayne County, three in Ozark County and one in Butler County in the state鈥檚 southern region, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
A 51-year-old St. Charles woman died when she lost control after driving through a large pool of standing water in Jefferson County shortly before midnight Saturday. The car veered off the left side of the road and struck a concrete median before returning to the roadway and getting hit by another vehicle. The woman was declared dead at the scene and has not been identified.

Blanca Pedro helps the Wolff family salvage belongings from their damaged home in the 4100 block of Scotch Drive in Bridgeton on Saturday, March 15, 2025.
In 果酱视频 County, a woman was electrocuted just after midnight Saturday after she came in contact with power lines in her backyard in the 3000 block of Wintergreen in the Old Jamestown area of North County. The woman, who died at the scene, has not been identified.
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In Butler County, Coroner Jim Akers said a person was killed early Saturday after a tornado ripped apart a home.
鈥淚t was unrecognizable to be a home. Just a debris field,鈥 Akers said, describing the scene that confronted rescuers when they arrived. 鈥淭he floor was upside down. We were walking on walls.鈥
Rescuers managed to save a woman in the home, Akers said.
The National Weather Service said initial reports indicate up to 19 tornadoes of varying strengths touched down across the state.
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to take us days to sift through the information,鈥 said Fred Glass, a NWS meteorologist. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot we don鈥檛 know at this point.鈥

鈥淚t was a scary ride, I鈥檒l tell you that,鈥 said Mark Nelson of Wisconsin as he waits with his semi-trailer after it overturned during high winds and a possible tornado on Interstate 44 westbound at Villa Ridge on Friday, March 14, 2025.
Glass said one single 鈥渟upercell鈥 thunderstorm plowed from the Villa Ridge area to West Alton, likely producing at least two tornadoes along that track and possibly more.
Barreling through at over 60 mph, the storm was too fast for its rain to trigger flash flooding, Glass said. Still, it delivered some significant rainfall in places: 1.8 inches of rain near Fairview Heights and 2.7 inches near Greenville, Illinois.
The Greenville area also recorded the largest local hailstone from the storm, with a diameter of 2.25 inches, Glass said. Meanwhile, places closer to 果酱视频 also saw 鈥渜uite a bit of large hail,鈥 he added, with the weather service receiving reports of hail ranging from 1-inch to golf ball-sized, including in south 果酱视频 County and Jefferson County.

A tree sits on a house, after falling and collapsing the roof during storms the night before, in Florissant on Saturday, March 15, 2025. There were no injuries.
Emergency responders worked through the night as storms blew through the 果酱视频 area, knocking out power, sparking brushfires and scattering debris.
Jefferson County was a regional focal point for storm damage.
鈥淢ore than dozens鈥 of local homes and businesses were damaged around Arnold, said Sgt. Andy Gadberry of the Missouri Highway Patrol, who was working in the area Saturday morning.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of damage,鈥 he said. 鈥淎 lot of roofs missing.鈥
Businesses along Jeffco Boulevard in Arnold were shuttered Saturday after sustaining storm damage, including Walgreens, NAPA Auto Parts and a Salvation Army thrift store. Fox Senior High School, Fox Middle School and Fox Elementary, which share a campus, were centered in the hard-hit area, but appeared mostly unscathed.
The school alarms went off Friday night, said neighbors Jeff and Marlena Hayes, who live on Lonedell Road. The wind sheared the roof off one side of their home. At the house next door, windows were blown out. Jeff Hayes鈥 mother lives in the home behind theirs; her chimney was torn loose.
The couple said they were grateful everyone in their family was safe.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nothing we can control,鈥 Jeff Hayes said as he cleared pieces of insulation from the yard.
Norman and Myrna Lamar, who live near St. David Catholic Church in Arnold, were cleaning out their leaky garage on Emil Drive early Saturday. Pieces of their siding were flapping loose in the breeze. A toppled evergreen had pulled down power lines and blocked the entrance to their street. A mangled trampoline sat in the front of a neighbor鈥檚 yard, blown there from two houses down.
鈥淚t came pretty good here,鈥 Norman Lamar said.
果酱视频 County received reports of minor storm-related injuries and extensive damage, according to County Executive Sam Page.

Matt Wolff, left, works underneath his carport with the help of his father-in-law Dempsey Watson and friend Tyler Umbright, right, as they work to stabilize it so Wolff could remove his trapped truck in the 4100 block of Scotch Drive in Bridgeton on Saturday, March 15, 2025, after a likely tornado touched down late Friday.
Crews were still assessing the impact, but believe the neighborhoods hit hardest were in Black Jack, Bridgeton and Florissant, county officials said Saturday morning at a press conference.
Page declared a state of emergency in the county and said early surveys indicate the damage is the most extensive since the Good Friday tornado in April 2011.
The Wolff family home on Scotch Drive in Bridgeton was one of several slammed by both storms 14 years apart.

Retail businesses in the 1000 block of South Bishop Avenue in Rolla, about 100 miles southwest of 果酱视频, were among those heavily damaged in the storms that swept Missouri on Friday, March 14, 2025.
Adriana Wolff, her husband and two children, ages 5 and 11, felt the house shaking from their spot in the basement Friday night. When they went upstairs, the roof was mostly gone. The carport collapsed, windows shattered and a fresh crack snaked through the foundation. A Barbie playhouse, a recent birthday gift, was tossed into the backyard.
鈥淢aterials come and go, but I鈥檓 glad we鈥檙e all OK,鈥 Wolff said.
In Bridgeton, homes in the area of Avery Lane and Benedetta Drive saw 鈥渆xtensive damage,鈥 police said, and access to the neighborhood was closed.
The winds were so strong they broke off a chunk of a chandelier inside the home of Deondre Wilkins near Benedetta and Lockport drives. A 鈥渂one-cracking鈥 sound turned out to be a 30-foot tree that fell in the side yard.
鈥淵ou could feel it,鈥 Wilkins said.

Missy, who declined to give her last name, searches for photographs in a debris field behind a relative鈥檚 home in the 4100 block of Scotch Drive in Bridgeton on Saturday, March 15, 2025, after a likely tornado touched down late Friday.
Wilkins鈥 mother-in-law, Lisa Lee, who owns the home, said she got an estimate last week on cutting down vulnerable trees in the yard, including the one that narrowly missed a gas line when it fell.
鈥淕od just laid that tree down right there,鈥 Lee said.
Dozens of people were looking over and cleaning up the damage Saturday in the neighborhood near the Bridgeton Recreation Center. A small box truck was tipped over, roof shingles were torn off and multiple trees were uprooted.
Organizers canceled the St. Patrick鈥檚 Day parade and festival in Florissant, citing extensive damage to the Duchesne Home Association fairgrounds. The roof of the nearby Old St. Ferdinand Shrine also sustained damage, they said. They urged residents to 鈥渉elp your neighbors in this time of need,鈥 instead of celebrating the holiday.

Heather Monterusso salvages her children's belongings from damp insulation and debris at her house, where the roof collapsed during storms the night before in Arnold on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Monterusso said she evacuated her children from the house during the night when the roof started to collapse. "The kids all acted really big considering the situation," Monterusso said. No one was injured.
A tree limb damaged the roof of Hendel鈥檚 restaurant, located in a historic building in Old Town Florissant.
鈥淎 lot of our houses and subdivisions have been hit also,鈥 early Saturday. 鈥淭onight鈥檚 been, I鈥檒l say, a very horrible night here in the city of Florissant.鈥
Residents were encouraged to call 211 to report non-life-threatening damage from the storm, said Michele Ryan, director of 果酱视频 County Office of Emergency Management.
County officials say they are trying to clear roads as quickly as possible. They have also received reports of motorists driving around downed power lines, which is extremely dangerous, Ryan said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not worth the five minutes you鈥檙e going to save,鈥 she said.
While MetroLink was running on schedule, MetroBus and Metro Call-A-Ride customers were asked to allow extra time, because drivers may need to reroute around areas with downed limbs, power lines and other obstructions. MetroBus routes in the Maryland Heights/Westport area and part of North County were among those affected, Metro Transit said in a release early Saturday. The 94 Page westbound was not able to serve Page between Lindbergh and Ball Road.
The storms caused widespread power outages. While crews were able to restore service to more than 50,000 customers, about 99,000 customers were still without power at 4 p.m. Saturday, including 81,000 in Missouri and 18,000 in Illinois, according to Ameren outage maps.
The Franklin County Sheriff鈥檚 Office reported that Villa Ridge and Gray Summit appeared to have taken the brunt of the storm, which caused heavy damage at the Purina Farms campus.

Purina Farms in Gray Summit was extensively damaged by storms that swept Missouri on Friday, March 14, 2025.
All staff and animals are safe, according to Purina Farms. The visitor center, pet center, barn and Incredible Dog Arena suffered significant damage, and the campus is closed indefinitely.
One damaged building on the Purina Farms campus housed some adoptable pets, including a puppy and cat from the Franklin County Humane Society. That prompted a rescue mission by a humane society manager, around 11 p.m. Friday.
鈥淪he was shocked at the level of damage that the facilities sustained and very thankful that our animals were not hurt,鈥 said Morgan White, a front desk staff member at the humane society.
White added that the puppy, named Rufio, and the cat, named Weaver, were safely and happily back at the humane society on Saturday. The shelter had also taken in two dogs that were reportedly found in a 鈥渄estroyed house鈥 in Villa Ridge, she said.

Marcus Cole embraces his daughters while standing in front of his destroyed Bridgeton home in the 4100 block of Scotch Drive on Saturday, March 15, 2025. A likely tornado ravaged the neighborhood late Friday. The Cole family was at a friend鈥檚 home in Wentzville when the storm struck. 鈥淓verything we own in this house is gone,鈥 said Cole鈥檚 wife Tamara. 鈥淭his is devastating.鈥
Tornado damage dealt the community a roughly 鈥5-mile hit,鈥 said Jim Casey, chief of the Boles Fire Protection District that covers the area. About 10 people reported minor injuries after a tornado hit a gas station in Villa Ridge.
Billboards were in tatters, stoplights were out, and destroyed rooftops, vehicles and windblown debris littered the area.
Casey said tallies of damage were still in the works, but estimated that at least 125 residences and about 50 businesses were damaged just around Villa Ridge 鈥 a figure that he said could grow substantially higher as more assessments are done.
In 果酱视频, effects of the storm were 鈥渕inimal,鈥 said Conner Kerrigan, a spokesperson for Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, in a morning press release. The downtown St. Patrick鈥檚 Day Parade and run proceeded as planned.
The storm system that ripped across Missouri continued east on Saturday. The National Weather Service issued multiple tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings for areas in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana and Texas.
Robert Cohen, Sarah Gassen, Bryce Gray, Austin Huguelet, Katie Kull and Colleen Schrappen of the Post-Dispatch, and The Associated Press, contributed to this report.
Photos: Widespread damage from tornadoes in 果酱视频 region

鈥淚 believe God said he wanted our love to stay true,鈥 said Marcus Cole, after finding his wife鈥檚 undamaged roses on a kitchen table while he salvaged belongings from his destroyed home in the 4100 block of Scotch Drive in Bridgeton on Saturday, March 15, 2025. The family has established a GoFundMe聽account to help them rebuild.

Matt Wolff, left, works underneath his carport with the help of his father-in-law Dempsey Watson and friend Tyler Umbright, right, as they work to stabilize it so Wolff could remove his trapped truck in the 4100 block of Scotch Drive in Bridgeton on Saturday, March 15, 2025, after a likely tornado touched down late Friday.

A tree sits on a house, after falling and collapsing the roof during storms the night before, in Florissant on Saturday, March 15, 2025. There were no injuries.

A decapitated doll sits in the damaged living room of Matt Wolff鈥檚 Bridgeton home as his father Brian Wolff surveys the damage in the 4100 block of Scotch Drive on Saturday, March 15, 2025 following a tornado that touched down late Friday.

Marcus Cole embraces his daughters while standing in front of his destroyed Bridgeton home in the 4100 block of Scotch Drive on Saturday, March 15, 2025. A likely tornado ravaged the neighborhood late Friday. The Cole family was at a friend鈥檚 home in Wentzville when the storm struck. 鈥淓verything we own in this house is gone,鈥 said Cole鈥檚 wife Tamara. 鈥淭his is devastating.鈥

Heather Monterusso salvages her children's belongings from damp insulation and debris at her house, where the roof collapsed during storms the night before in Arnold on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Monterusso said she evacuated her children from the house during the night when the roof started to collapse. "The kids all acted really big considering the situation," Monterusso said. No one was injured.

Blanca Pedro helps the Wolff family salvage belongings from their damaged home in the 4100 block of Scotch Drive in Bridgeton on Saturday, March 15, 2025.

Neighborhood children in Bridgeton pass an overturned truck on Scotch Drive following a likely Friday night tornado on Saturday, March 15, 2025.

Matt Wolff grabs a hoodie from his trapped truck before beginning the work to stabilize a carport so he could remove the vehicle in the 4100 block of Scotch Drive in Bridgeton on Saturday, March 15, 2025.

Missy, who declined to give her last name, searches for photographs in a debris field behind a relative鈥檚 home in the 4100 block of Scotch Drive in Bridgeton on Saturday, March 15, 2025, after a likely tornado touched down late Friday.

Playing cards mix with ceiling insulation in Matt and Adriana Wolff鈥檚 heavily damaged home in the 4100 block of Scotch Drive in Bridgeton on Saturday, March 15, 2025 after a likely tornado touched down late Friday.

Marcus Cole carries an end table from his destroyed Bridgeton home in the 4100 block of Scotch Drive on Saturday, March 15, 2025. A likely tornado ravaged the neighborhood late Friday.

鈥淚t was a scary ride, I鈥檒l tell you that,鈥 said Mark Nelson of Wisconsin as he waits with his semi-trailer after it overturned during high winds and a possible tornado on Interstate 44 westbound at Villa Ridge on Friday, March 14, 2025.

Friends and family help clear branches of a tree downed by storms the night before to safely remove Fred Ford's truck from below the deck of his house in Arnold on Saturday, March 15, 2025.

Friends and family help clear branches of a tree downed by storms the night before to safely remove Fred Ford's truck from below the deck of his house in Arnold on Saturday, March 15, 2025.

Amanda DeMarco hands a damaged but intact box of baseball cards to her uncle Rich, who declined to share his last name, outside his house, which was severely damaged by a tree which fell during storms the night before in Florissant on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Rich said he was inside the house, which his parents bought in 1965, during the storm but was not injured.

Heather Monterusso walks out of her house, where the roof collapsed during storms the night before in Arnold on Saturday, March 15, 2025. Monterusso said she's lived in the house for 14 years, and evacuated her children during the night when the roof started collapsing. "The kids all acted really big considering the situation," Monterusso said. No one was injured.

A Miner鈥檚 Towing truck lifts a truck toppled by storms the night before into an upright position in the parking lot at Lowe鈥檚 in Arnold on Saturday, March 15, 2025.

John King helps remove children's clothing from the basement of his ex-wife Heather Monterusso's house, where the roof collapsed during storms the night before in Arnold on Saturday, March 15, 2025.

A telephone pole on Compi Lane downed by storms the night before in Arnold on Saturday, March 15, 2025.

Friends and family help Tricia Mowry, left, clear trees downed by storms the night before from her driveway in Arnold on Saturday, March 15, 2025.

Charles Harris packs some of his belongings into his damaged vehicle on Friday, March 14, 2025, as his apartment bedroom on Avant Drive in Hazelwood is exposed after a storm ripped through the Chez Paree complex near Lindbergh. 鈥淚 heard those winds getting real strong. So I got in my bathtub. A few seconds later the roof got ripped off the bathroom,鈥 he said. He said the roof from his building landed on his parked car, cracking the windshield.

A crew with Accurate Tree & Landscaping LLC work to clear one of two downed trees on Friday, March 14, 2025, blocking Ninetieth Street in Florissant after a tornado ripped through the 果酱视频 region causing widespread damage.

Matt Wolff and his father, Brian Wolff, work to board his front window after his home was heavily damaged in the 4100 block of Scotch Drive in Bridgeton on Saturday, March 15, 2025, after a tornado touched down late Friday.

Tamara Cole takes a moment in her daughter鈥檚 room as she considers clothes to take after her home was destroyed in the 4100 block of Scotch Drive in Bridgeton on Saturday, March 15, 2025 after a tornado touched down late Friday.

Marcus Cole embraces his daughter, who he declined to identify, while standing in front of his destroyed Bridgeton home in the 4100 block of Scotch Drive on Saturday, March 15, 2025. A likely tornado ravaged the neighborhood late Friday. The Cole family was at a friend鈥檚 home in Wentzville when the storm struck. 鈥淓verything we own in this house is gone,鈥 said Cole鈥檚 wife Tamara. 鈥淭his is devastating.鈥

Missy, who declined to give her last name, moves debris from the front of Tamara and Marcus Wolff鈥檚 destroyed home in the 4100 block of Scotch Drive in Bridgeton on Saturday, March 15, 2025 after a tornado touched down late Friday.
Hail falls in Webster Groves just north of Crestwood on Friday, Mar. 14, 2025.