Officials said four people were killed in southern Michigan, including a 12-year-old boy, and two died in Oklahoma on Friday, with rescue workers continuing to assess the damage.

The storms uprooted trees, downed power lines, damaged buildings and ripped the roofs off some houses on Friday.

The National Weather Service (NWS) said the severe weather could continue into the weekend, warning of thunderstorms and flash flooding from the Great Plains to Texas.

In Michigan, the Branch County sheriff’s department said three people were killed and 12 others were injured near Union City after a tornado hit on Friday. Power outages and road closures are expected this weekend, they added.

About 50 miles (80 km) away in Cass County, Michigan, authorities reported one one death and several injuries.

“Multiple large structures – including homes and pole barns – sustained damage ranging from major structural impacts to complete destruction,” they said in a statement.

Hundreds of people were reported to be without power, they added.

Cass County Sheriff Clint Roach announced on Saturday that 12-year-old Silas Anderson died from unspecified weather-related injuries in Edwardsburg, Michigan.

“Silas was surrounded by family at the time of his passing,” the sheriff’s office said in a social media post.

Videos shared on social media showed massive whirlwinds sweeping through Union City, and large chunks of debris and dust flying across a car park in the city of Three Rivers.

One local resident described seeing the storm approaching.

“We look out the window and saw the tornado go right down the strip and that’s where my daughter is, where my parents, where I live down the road,” a Three Rivers, Michigan resident told CBS News. “I was just very grateful that God protected my daughter and my mom and sister and my family.”

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said she activated a state emergency for Branch, Cass and St Joseph counties.

“We are working with emergency teams to monitor the situation and coordinate resources for those impacted,” she said.

“My heart is with the families who lost loved ones and the Michiganders who were injured yesterday.”

Emergency management officials said local responders are continuing to search damaged areas and begin recovery efforts.

In Oklahoma, Jeff Moore, the county’s emergency manager, said a tornado cut around a 4-mile (6.4 km) path of damage in Okmulgee county, some 30 miles (48 km) south of Tulsa.

“We’re just getting everywhere as fast as we can, clearing roads as fast we can,” Moore said.

Two deaths were reported in Beggs, Oklahoma, according to the Okmulgee county sheriff’s office.

Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt said he declared a state of emergency for Alfalfa, Creek, Grant, Major, Okmulgee, Rogers, Tulsa, and Wagoner counties “to ensure Oklahomans have the support and resources they need after last night’s storms”.

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In Kansas, at least eight people died after more than 55 vehicles were involved in a crash due to a dust storm.

More than 250,000 properties were without power across seven states – including Michigan, Missouri and Illinois – overnight into Sunday, according to tracker PowerOutage.

Further severe weather is expected for the region, with tornado watches issued across eastern Louisiana, western Georgia, central Tennessee and the western Florida Panhandle.

Six deaths were reported in Mississippi by the Governor Tate Reeves, as several tornadoes spread across the state.

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.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has said these flash floods could prove deadly.

Multiple tornado warnings were also issued across Alabama on Saturday night.

The NWS warned of “multiple intense to violent long-track tornadoes” in those areas, describing the situation as “particularly dangerous”.

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.”

Gusts of up to 60mph (97km/h) have been recorded in Shelby, Tennessee, according to NWS data.

Damage from a tornado that hit MissouriDebris was strewn across the road in Missouri

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.”

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.”

Arkansas has seen three deaths and 29 injuries – prompting Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders to declare a state of emergency.

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.

A dust storm that caused three deaths in Texas on Friday night caused a pile-up of an estimated 38 cars.

“It’s the worst I’ve ever seen,” Sgt Cindy Barkley, of the state’s department of public safety, told reporters.

“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 more than 100 wildfires in several central states and overturned multiple semi-trailer trucks, CBS reports.

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.

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 moving upwards.

Four states where tornado-related deaths have been confirmed in the past day lie within a path frequently hit by the weather phenomenon.

It has earned this stretch of the US the unofficial name Tornado Alley, because its geography is ideal for tornado formation.

In 2024, 54 people were killed in tornado-related incidents, according to Noaa. Nine people died in Texas. There were eight in Oklahoma, five in Arkansas and one in Missouri.

Peak tornado season in Tornado Alley is from May to June – but meteorologists caution that tornadoes can occur at any time of year.

Missouri’s governor has warned of further severe weather, including the risk of additional tornadoes on Saturday. The state’s emergency management service has reported widespread damage across multiple regions.

“The Patrol and local agencies are working tirelessly to assist those in need and assess the damage,” Missouri State Highway Patrol said in a statement on X.

The destructive storms have also struck Texas and Oklahoma, where they fuelled more than 100 wildfires and overturned several semi-trailer trucks, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner.

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 Panhandle, signaling extreme fire danger.