Tornadoes rip through US as southern states face severe storms

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A series of tornadoes ripped through multiple states on Easter Sunday with severe storms expected throughout much of the southern US, according to reports, potentially causing destruction as the nation battles the global coronavirus pandemic.

In Texas, the National Weather Service confirmed at least one tornado nearly 50 miles east of Austin, as another more dangerous tornado moved towards the town of Monroe, Louisiana at 45 mph.

The weather service said the greatest risk for strong storms ran from northeast Louisiana and southeast Arkansas, across wide swathes of Mississippi and Alabama and into western Georgia.

"This could be a very difficult day weather-wise”, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves told residents in a live Facebook presentation.

"Please be weather aware,” he added. “Pay attention. I know that these storms that are coming through can be dangerous. We can see significant winds. We can also see significant tornadoes coming through Mississippi today."

At midday, the weather service in Birmingham said radar showed strong storms moving into Alabama from Mississippi.

The weather service said a broader area, from east Texas to the East Coast was under at least a "marginal" risk of storms.

The severe weather — potentially impacting as many as 95 million Americans nationwide — comes as the US death toll for the coronavirus pandemic surpasses more than 20,000.

Much of the country was meanwhile living under some form of stay-at-home orders, with southern states like Florida having recently announced shutdowns of restaurants and businesses in an effort to slow the rate of transmissions and keep local hospital systems within capacity.

Severe storms also brought recent tornadoes to Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin, as local officials reported dozens of injured residents.

The storms also destroyed multiple farm buildings and damaged at least two houses near Sherrill, Iowa and Potosi, Wisconsin.

There were no injuries reported, but some livestock were killed when barns were knocked down at one farm.

In northern Illinois, a tornado that touched down in rural Ogle County near the town of Oregon was on the ground for roughly 10 minutes, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Gino Izzi. No injuries were reported.

High winds and a possible tornado damaged homes in the southwestern Indiana town of Newburgh. One person was hospitalised for minor injuries, according to Warrick County Sheriff Mike Wilder.

Additional reporting by AP