The Jackson, Kentucky, office is one of at least four such facilities across the country that is so short-staffed that it is no longer routinely operating 24/7.

The Jackson, Kentucky, weather service office recently cut overnight staff but meteorologists were called in to handle the deadly tornado outbreak.

An EF-2 tornado touched down in New Richmond, Wisconsin, during Thursday evening's severe storms, the National Weather Service says. There were more than a dozen tornado warnings and multiple observed tornadoes across Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Baseball-sized hailstones, tornadoes and straight-line winds blasted the Midwest on Thursday afternoon through Thursday night, cutting power to over 400,000. And more storms are in the forecast. After a small lull in severe weather on Sunday,

At least five people have died and more than 5,000 buildings were damaged after a tornado tore through St Louis in Missouri. The tornado swept along a major road, tearing roofs off houses, uprooting trees and knocking down power lines on Friday evening.

Homes and buildings are wrecked after a tornado touched down inside the city of St. Louis. The city’s mayor says four people are dead following the severe storms there. NBC News’ Maggie Vespa reports.