Severe storms, including two confirmed tornadoes, swept through the St. Louis metropolitan area on Friday, leaving at least five people dead and causing widespread damage and power outages. Mayor Cara Spencer confirmed the fatalities during an evening press conference, urging residents to stay off the streets and limit cell phone use due to damaged infrastructure.

Over 5,000 homes and buildings were damaged, according to Mayor Spencer. 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.

The National Weather Service confirmed that at least an EF-3 tornado, with wind speeds reaching up to 165 mph, hit the area. In all, there were at least two tornadoes to hit as storms moved through the metro.

The tornadoes tore roofs off buildings, downed trees, and knocked out power to thousands of residents. One tornado touched down in Clayton, Missouri, between 2:30 p.m. and 2:50 p.m., causing significant damage, particularly in the area of Forest Park. The National Weather Service described the tornado as "extremely dangerous," moving east at 50 mph.

In addition to the fatalities, several people were injured, with St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Barnes-Jewish Hospital treating numerous patients. At Centennial Christian Church, part of the building collapsed, resulting in one death and the rescue of two others.

The storms also caused a major power outage, affecting 30,000 buildings in St. Louis city and 40,000 in the county. The Metrolink transit service was disrupted, and a tree fell on a Metro bus, injuring passengers.

The Red Cross has opened three shelters in St. Louis at the following locations:

Grace United Methodist Church, 6199 Waterman Boulevard
Friendly Temple Outreach Center, 6356 Martin Luther King Drive
12th & Park Recreation Center, 1410 S. Tucker Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63104

The Red Cross announced on Saturday afternoon that the shelter located at Grace United Methodist Church in St. Louis was full. The other two shelters were still available.

The United Way has set up a donation site: HelpingPeople.org/stormrelief.

Volunteers can sign up at STLVolunteer.org.

Simon Conway