BREAKING: EF-4 Tornado Devastates Poplar Bluff, Southern Missouri

Good evening. Tonight, we bring you breaking news from southern Missouri, where our community faces one of the most devastating natural disasters in recent memory.

At 3:16 PM today, a massive EF-4 tornado touched down just outside Poplar Bluff. Amateur footage captured the terrifying birth of a funnel cloud carving across farmland, its rotation violent and unyielding. For a moment, everything stilled—then came the deafening roar, the sky gone almost black, walls of debris tearing through everything in their path.

As your anchor, let me walk you through what we know right now. The tornado, over half a mile wide, unleashed winds reaching estimated speeds of 166 to 200 miles per hour. The scene in and around Poplar Bluff is grave: residential neighborhoods torn apart, power lines ripped down, entire homes flattened as if made of straw.

Aerial survey footage shows the true scale—rows of houses completely destroyed, vehicles tossed and mangled, grain silos twisted beyond recognition. Fallen trees and live wires mean search and rescue teams are fighting against blocked roads and ongoing dangers. Butler County officials confirm at least 12 homes lost, widespread outages, and full access to some areas still impossible.

Tonight, as emergency crews continue the painstaking search for survivors and begin the first steps toward recovery, our thoughts stay with everyone who calls this place home. We are here to keep you informed with verified facts as this crisis unfolds. Please, if you are in the region, remain vigilant—monitor updates, obey warnings, and above all else, stay safe.

We'll be following every development in the coming hours and days. In moments like these, the strength of our community is tested, but so too is its resolve and compassion.

Stay tuned, stay alert—and from all of us at the studio, our hearts are with southern Missouri.