Tornadoes claim at least 88 lives in five US states; storm brings snow to California

A tornado outbreak that killed at least 88 people in five states — 74 of them in Kentucky — cut a path of damage that stretched from Arkansas, where a nursing home was destroyed, to Illinois, where an Amazon distribution center was heavily damaged. In Kentucky, Governor Andy Beshear said the death toll could grow as authorities continued to work around debris that slowed recovery efforts. (Reuters)

Nearly 450 National Guard members have been mobilized in Kentucky, and 95 of them are doing fatality searches. Kentucky authorities said the sheer level of destruction was hindering their ability to tally the damage. As searches continued for those still missing, efforts also turned to repairing the power grid, sheltering those whose homes were destroyed and delivering supplies. (Reuters)

A fund set up by the state of Kentucky has collected $6 million in donations. Across the state, about 26,000 homes and businesses were without electricity, according to poweroutage.us, including nearly all of those in Mayfield. More than 10,000 homes and businesses had no water as of Monday, and another 17,000 are under boil-water advisories, Kentucky Emergency Management Director Michael Dossett said. (Reuters)

Five twisters hit Kentucky in all, including one with an extraordinarily long path of about 200 miles (320 kilometers). (Reuters)

The tornadoes also killed at least six people in Illinois, where the Amazon distribution center in Edwardsville was hit; four in Tennessee; two in Arkansas, where the nursing home was destroyed and the governor said workers shielded residents with their own bodies; and two in Missouri. Seen here is a destroyed building in Mayfield. (Reuters)

Mayfield, home to 10,000, suffered some of the worst damage. Debris from destroyed buildings and shredded trees covered the ground in the city. Twisted sheet metal, downed power lines and wrecked vehicles lined the streets. Windows were blown out and roofs torn off the buildings that were still standing. Seen here is a man standing at his destroyed home in Edwardsville, Illinois. (Reuters)

Initially as many as 70 people were feared dead in the Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory, but the company said Sunday that eight deaths were confirmed and eight people remained missing, while more than 90 others had been located. Bob Ferguson, a spokesman for the company, said many employees gathered in a tornado shelter, then left the site and were hard to reach because phone service was out. Seen here is a stuffed toy sitting amid the destruction in the aftermath of a tornado in Mayfield. (Reuters)

Hannah Binder gathers personal items from her car in Edwardsville, after it was hit by a tree and totaled during Friday's tornado at her family's home and business, Brockmeier Sod Farm. The tornado damaged buildings, vehicles and trees on the property. (AP)

Northern California received heavy rain and snow, which brought the possibility of rockslides and mudslides to areas scarred by wildfires following an especially warm and dry fall across the US West. The multiday storm, a powerful “atmospheric river” weather system that is sucking up moisture from the Pacific Ocean, raised the threat of flooding and was expected to dump more than 8 feet of snow on the highest peaks in California and Nevada and drench other parts of the two states before it moves on midweek, forecasters said. (AP)

The storm is typical for this time of the year but notable because it’s the first big snow that is expected to significantly affect travel with ice and snow on the roads, strong winds and limited visibility, said National Weather Service meteorologist Anna Wanless in Sacramento. Forecasters said strong winds accompanying the storm could lead to power outages. Karly Hernandez, a spokesperson for Pacific Gas & Electric, said crews and equipment are staged across the state to respond if the power goes out. The second storm predicted to hit California midweek shortly after the current storm moves on could deliver almost continuous snow in mountainous areas, said Edan Weishahn of the weather service in Reno. Seen here us a partially flooded area in Santa Cruz, California. (AP)