ST. LOUIS – At least seven people were killed and dozens of others were injured on Friday after a storm caused significant damage in Missouri, significantly impacting the St. Louis metro area.
The storm was part of a system that has millions of people across several states on alert for the potential of tornadoes, damaging wind and large hail.
St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer shared Friday evening in a press conference that at least five storm-related fatalities have been confirmed in her city, and implemented a city-wide curfew as over 5,000 homes were affected by the storms.
In Scott County, located about 2 hours south of St. Louis, the sheriff reported at least two storm-related deaths and multiple injuries.
"Today our county was struck by a devastating tornado in the southern region, causing significant damage to several rural areas," Scott County Sheriff Derick Wheetley said. "The tornado moved from the eastern part of the county, leaving behind a trail of destruction, with multiple homes completely lost and areas left unrecognizable."
In the St. Louis area, much of the damage seems to have happened in the University City area, where images of downed trees have surfaced on social media.
According to storm reports from the National Weather Service, considerable wind damage was reported along Pershing Avenue in west St. Louis.
The National Weather Service office in St. Louis said in a press conference on Saturday morning that winds were at least 100 mph.
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FOX News Multimedia Reporter Olivianna Calmes found damage in Clayton, just south of University City. She said she has seen several trees damaged and some trees have fallen on cars in the area.
"The skies turned green," Rachel, a resident of Clayton, told Calmes. "The winds started whipping. Then, it fell silent, and then you heard what sounded like a train, and everything started falling."
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According to a Facebook post, the St. Louis Zoo sustained damage during the storm and will be closed through Saturday.
"All animals are safe and accounted for, and there have been no reports of significant injuries to staff, guests or animals," zoo staff wrote in the post.
The NWS described the storm as a "Particularly Dangerous Situation" when the Tornado Warning was issued that covered more than a million people across the St. Louis metro.
A funnel cloud was also spotted in Fenton, Missouri, about 20 miles southwest of the heart of St. Louis.
More than 80,000 customers were without power across Missouri as of Saturday morning, according to FindEnergy.com. The majority of those outages were in the St. Louis metro.
The National Weather Service is surveying damage to the St. Louis area on Saturday.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said officers would be on 12-hour shifts until further notice as the City of St. Louis continues searching the storm area and protecting property.
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