Glen Allen, Mo.  —As the third in a string of dangerous, huge storms to strike the country's heartland within the final two weeks, a tornado tore through southeast Missouri sometime recently, first light on Wednesday, killing five individuals and causing broad harm.

As the early serious storm season for this year proceeds, meteorologists are on the lookout for an even more extraordinary climate. At least 63 individuals have been killed by the tornadoes, which were primarily found in the South and Midwest. Neighborhoods over a wide swath of the nation were devastated at the end of the week by affirmed or suspected tornadoes in at least eight states. 

Around 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, the Missouri tornado made landfall in a rural area of Bollinger County, which is located about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of St. Louis. Trees were uprooted, houses were reduced to splinter piles, and one structure was turned on its side.

At a news conference, State Highway Patrol Superintendent Eric Olson reported that five people had died and five had been injured. At least some of the victims, according to Glen Allen, Virginia, residents, were family members who lived in a trailer next to a state road.

On Wednesday, the trailer's only remaining components were an axle and its concrete pads. Furniture, clothing, and kitchenware were strewn across a field, and a sizable stuffed animal was wedged in a tree branch.

Olson reported that 12 buildings were demolished and dozens more were damaged.

According to Bollinger County Sheriff Casey Graham's Facebook post, the damage was primarily in the area of Glen Allen and the tiny rural community of Grassy, which are divided by a hunting area. The victims' names were not immediately made public by him.

Charles Collier, 61, who owns a storage facility in Glen Allen, claimed to have seen the coroner's van drive by with its lights on.

Knowing there were bodies inside made for a very sad sight, according to Collier. Thinking about all these other people and what they are going through left me feeling numb.

Josh Wells claimed that a tornado forced its way through his bedroom wall and tore off half the roof of his Glen Allen residence. He had already escaped with his son to the basement of his sister's house. Because a propane unit was damaged, the area smelled like gas. However, this year's early spate of severe weather continues a trend seen over the past few years. Midwest tornadoes typically occur later in the spring. According to Bill Bunting, director of forecast operations at Norman, Oklahoma's National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center, more of the US is at risk as a result of the potential for severe weather.

The United States is frequently prone to tornadoes and other severe storms because of dry air from the West that rises over the Rockies and collides with warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, according to experts.

Gov. Mike Parson of Missouri said President Joe Biden had called to assure him of federal assistance as he toured the storm damage area on Wednesday. Authorities in the area expect months of recovery work, he said.

As someone who grew up in a small town, Parson said, "I just know that these small towns, these counties, and these cities will come together to help one another out."

According to Justin Gibbs, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky, the tornado stayed on the ground for 15 minutes and covered about 15-20 miles. It was given a preliminary EF-2 rating and could produce winds of 130 mph (228 kph). When it made landfall late at night or early in the morning, as it did, the tornado was particularly hazardous. Bobby Masters reported that debris was slamming his Glen Allen home as he sought refuge in his basement after receiving a phone weather alert. As the tornado passed, he recalled hearing a roar that he likened to the sound of a freight train. He said, "The good Lord spared us, our family, and our home."

A phone alert also woke up Keith Lincoln, 56. He begged God to "just save us and the house" as he and his wife and daughter, who was 18, huddled in a bathtub. Lincoln spent the afternoon mending his roof, but he was grateful that most of his prayers had been heard.

Chris Green, 35, discovered a small, dead black dog among the rubble. He said, as he and his father buried the animal, "I can not just leave it here."

According to Larry Welker, the public administrator for Bollinger County, the region is rural, with the majority of its residents engaged in farming, logging, or construction work. There are about 10,500 people living in the county. Little more than a few scathed homes and businesses make up the battered communities.

Some areas still suffering from the deadly storm last weekend were in danger from the storms moving through the Midwest and South. The Storm Prediction Center once stated that up to 40 million people in a region that included Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, and Memphis, Tennessee, were at risk.

Authorities in central Illinois reported that a tornado that hit Fulton County on Tuesday night injured five people and left about 300 homes without power. One of the injured people was in critical condition, according to Chris Helle, director of the county's Emergency Services Disaster Agency.

According to Helle, most of the damage was located close to Bryant, which is located about 200 miles (322 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. Although many homes were lost, according to Helle, he gave credit to those who heeded warnings and sought shelter.

Authorities reported that a second tornado made landfall in the Colona community in western Illinois on Tuesday morning. Some of the businesses there had wind damage, according to local news reports.