What to Know About the Tornadoes That Ripped Through the Central U.S.

Another fierce storm system hit the central United States this weekend, devastating many communities that are still reeling from severe weather just weeks ago.

On Friday night, a series of tornadoes tore through the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions, killing at least 27 and injuring dozens more. Kentucky and Missouri were hit particularly hard, with 25 deaths occurring there.

The storms are the latest deadly chapter in an especially brutal spring. In April, similar storms caused deadly flooding and more destruction, also hitting Kentucky and Missouri. The stretch of inclement weather comes as federal weather and emergency management workers struggle to keep up in the face of recent federal work force cuts.

Here’s what to know about this storm system.

‘A continuous stream of storms’

This system consisted of supercells, or highly organized, longer-lasting storms that produce stronger winds and larger hail than typical thunderstorms. The supercells then spawned tornadoes beginning Friday afternoon around the system’s bull’s-eye, which was centered over parts of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.

Government forecasters said on Saturday that a preliminary count showed that 26 tornadoes had touched down, mostly in Indiana and Kentucky. That number pales in comparison with the tornado outbreak during the April storms, which was 107, but officials in the bombarded states said that residents were still dealing with the damage from previous storms.

“We’ve been under almost a continuous stream of storms,” said Chad Jenkins, the emergency management director for Brown County, Ind., where at least five people were injured. “It’s been a pretty turbulent spring for us.”