By Hamza | Published: May 16, 2025

Spencer said there was “extensive damage” with the main damage being from Kingshighway and Delmar north to the city line in St. Louis. There was also widespread damage in the county.

Residents were being asked to stay off the streets if possible and to limit cell phone usage due to damaged equipment. A curfew was set for in St. Louis’ District 5 and District 6 until 6 a.m. Saturday morning.

The metro St. Louis area had been under a level 4 of 5 for the threat of severe weather and large hail had been the main concern, but a spate of tornado warnings were reported around 2 p.m.

St. Louis Children’s Hospital emergency department received 15 injured patients; two were admitted and the others were expected to be discharged Friday evening. Families began arriving at the hospital Friday afternoon and were reunited with children.

Barnes-Jewish Hospital received 20–30 patients, some of whom were in serious condition.

Photos and videos in St. Louis show parts of roofs and sides of buildings shorn off and a fire crew was working to rescue someone trapped inside of a home.

In the Clayton area, there were some evacuations due to a reported gas leak and a 5 On Your Side crew said the smell of gas was evident.

The Clayton Police Department said in a press release that there have been no confirmed reports of injuries in the city. But, there is significant damage to property.

Police said the impacted area is bordered by S. Brentwood Road to the West and Skinker to the East, Forsyth to the North, and Clayton Road to the South. They are asking the public to avoid this area.

On Newstead in St. Louis, rescue crews were on the scene trying to free a man trapped in the basement of a home. The sight of the collapsed home showed what had to be thousands of pounds of bricks down. Reports said that the 45-year-old man was trapped in the home but had been communicating with rescuers. Family and neighbors were at the scene waiting anxiously for word.

At the historic Harlem Tap Room on Martin Luther King, the entire top story appeared to have been ripped off and those inside said that one of the people in charge raced in warning for others to get to safety. One man said the tornado came in one door and appeared to be going in a direction that didn’t take it through the entire building.

A large part of the city’s MetroLink transit service was shut down due to a power outage, meanwhile there was a report that a tree fell on a Metro transit bus, injuring some of those on board.

The tornado that seems responsible for a lot of the damage seemed to move along the Clayton and Richmond Heights area before moving through Forest Park and into the Central West End area before moving into more of the city.

Forest Park’s golf course, along with the Missouri History Museum and the Missouri Art Museum were closed due to as-yet-undisclosed damage.

There are 30,000 buildings in the city of St. Louis without power and 40,000 in the county.