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US tornadoes: At least 34 dead as storms tear through Missouri and southern US US tornadoes: At least 34 dead as storms tear through southern US
(about 3 hours later)
US tornadoes: Extreme weather leaves trail of destructionUS tornadoes: Extreme weather leaves trail of destruction
At least 34 people have died in the US - including 12 in Missouri alone - after deadly tornadoes tore through several south-eastern states, flipping cars and flattening homes. At least 34 people have died in the US after violent tornadoes tore through several south-eastern states, flipping cars and flattening homes.
In Kansas, at least eight people died after more than 55 vehicles were involved in a crash due to a dust storm. In Kansas, a dust storm on Friday afternoon caused a crash with more than 50 vehicles, killing at least 8 people. Texas saw a similar mass pile-up.
More than 250,000 properties were without power across seven states - including Michigan, Missouri and Illinois - overnight into Sunday, according to tracker PowerOutage. A state of emergency has been declared in several states, including Arkansas, Georgia and Oklahoma, where more than 100 wildfires are raging.
Further severe weather is expected for the region, with tornado watches issued across eastern Louisiana, western Georgia, central Tennessee and the western Florida Panhandle. A third day of severe weather is expected on Sunday, with flash flooding and more tornado warnings issued across the region. The National Weather Service (NWS) warned of "intense to violent" tornadoes, describing the situation as "particularly dangerous".
Six deaths were reported in Mississippi by the Governor Tate Reeves, as several tornadoes spread across the state. "Get to the sturdiest structure you have access to and remain in place until the storms pass," the NWS told residents in Alabama on Saturday night, when multiple tornado warnings were issued.
Flash flooding and flood warnings have also been issued in central Mississippi, eastern Louisiana and western Tennessee; as well as parts of Alabama and Arkansas, as severe weather continues to track across the south-east. At least 250,000 properties across the US were without power on Sunday morning, according to tracker PowerOutage.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has said these flash floods could prove deadly. In Missouri, where at least 12 people died, Governor Mike Kehoe said the state had been "devastated by severe storms... leaving homes destroyed and lives lost".
Multiple tornado warnings were also issued across Alabama on Saturday night. Initial reports showed 19 tornadoes had struck 25 counties in the state, its emergency management agency said.
The NWS warned of "multiple intense to violent long-track tornadoes" in those areas, describing the situation as "particularly dangerous". A home belonging to one of the those killed was torn apart.
The meteorological agency said: "If you live in these areas, get to the sturdiest structure you have access to and remain in place until the storms pass." "It was unrecognisable as a home. Just a debris field," Coroner Jim Akers of Butler County told the BBC's US partner, CBS News.
Gusts of up to 60mph (97km/h) have been recorded in Shelby, Tennessee, according to NWS data.
Mike Kehoe, governor of Missouri, said the state had been "devastated by severe storms and tornadoes, leaving homes destroyed and lives lost".
Missouri's emergency management agency said initial reports indicated 19 tornadoes had struck 25 counties so far.
A home belonging to one of the 12 people killed in Missouri was torn apart by a tornado.
"It was unrecognisable as a home. Just a debris field," Coroner Jim Akers of Butler County told CBS News, as rescuers attended the scene.
"The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls.""The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls."
Alicia Wilson, who was evacuated from her home in Missouri, told TV station KSDK: "It was the scariest thing I've ever been through; it was so fast, our ears were all about to burst." Alicia Wilson, who was evacuated from her Missouri home, told local TV station KSDK: "It was the scariest thing I've ever been through - it was so fast, our ears were all about to burst."
Arkansas has seen three deaths and 29 injuries - prompting Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders to declare a state of emergency. A woman in Mississippi described how terrified her daughter was.
Georgia's governor, Brian Kemp, also declared a state of emergency, while Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt confirmed one person had been killed in the state. "All I could hear was my six year old screaming that she didn't want to die - you don't want to hear that coming out of your baby's mouth," Jericho McCoy said.
A dust storm that caused three deaths in Texas on Friday night caused a pile-up of an estimated 38 cars. In Texas, a dust storm caused a pile-up of about 38 cars, which killed at least for people, local officials told AFP.
"It's the worst I've ever seen," Sgt Cindy Barkley, of the state's department of public safety, told reporters. "It's the worst I've ever seen," Sgt Cindy Barkley, of the state's public safety department, told reporters.
"We couldn't tell that they were all together until the dust kind of settled.""We couldn't tell that they were all together until the dust kind of settled."
A further death has since been reported in Texas. The destructive storms fuelled many wildfires in several central states, including Oklahoma, where more than 130 fires were reported on Friday, the state's department of emergency management said.
The destructive storms fuelled more than 100 wildfires in several central states and overturned multiple semi-trailer trucks, CBS reports. As of Saturday, it said there had been 112 fire-related injuries reported by hospitals in the state.
In Oklahoma, one of those fires, known as the 840 Road Fire, has already burned 27,500 acres and remains 0% contained, according to the Oklahoma Forestry Service. The agency has issued a "red flag" warning for the state's panhandle area, signalling a severe fire danger. Governor Kevin Stitt, who visited his own ranch to find he had "lost everything to the fires", said the damage in the state was unbelievable.
Matt Taylor with the forecast on severe thunderstorms affecting central and eastern parts of the US "Oklahomans, we are in this together and we will build back stronger," he said.
Tornadoes form when moist, warm air rises, mixing with cold air above to form thunderclouds. Tornadoes form when moist, warm air rises, mixing with cold air above to form thunderclouds. Winds blowing from different directions cause the air to rotate, creating a vortex of air that moves upwards.
Winds blowing from different directions cause the air to rotate, creating a vortex of air moving upwards. Several states, including Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Kansas, lie within so-called Tornado Alley - a path frequently hit by the weather phenomenon, as the geography is ideal for their formation.
Four states where tornado-related deaths have been confirmed in the past day lie within a path frequently hit by the weather phenomenon. Peak tornado season in the region is from May to June - but meteorologists caution that they can occur at any time of year.
It has earned this stretch of the US the unofficial name Tornado Alley, because its geography is ideal for tornado formation.
Peak tornado season in Tornado Alley is from May to June - but meteorologists caution that tornadoes can occur at any time of year.
Have you been personally affected by the tornadoes in the US?Have you been personally affected by the tornadoes in the US?
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