Dozens dead and thousands left without power after storms hit central US

A man looks over debris in Valley View, Texas. Credit: AP

At least 22 people have been killed over the weekend after powerful storms swept across central parts of the United States.

The storms left a trail of destruction, causing widespread damage to homes and businesses, leaving thousands without power, and causing deaths in the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky.

Just south of the storms, records were set by a searing heatwave stretching from south Texas to Florida.

More than 400,000 residents across seven states were left without power as of Monday night, with more thunderstorms, strong winds and flash flooding expected.

Forecasters warned the weather could shift to the East Coast next, and issued a tornado warning from North Carolina to Maryland.

Destroyed homes are seen after a deadly tornado rolled through Valley View, Texas. Credit: AP

The death toll included seven people in Cooke County, Texas, where a tornado tore through a mobile home park.

Cooke County Sheriff Ray Sappington said there was "just a trail of debris left" in the area, where the dead included two children aged two and five. "The devastation is pretty severe," he added.

The tiny town of Charleston, Kentucky, took a direct hit on Sunday night from a tornado that the governor said appeared to be on the ground for 40 miles.

"It's a big mess," said Rob Linton, who lives in Charleston. "Trees down everywhere. Houses moved. Power lines are down. No utilities whatsoever - no water, no power."

A flea market was severely damaged by storms in Rogers, Arkansas. Credit: AP

In Farmers Branch, just north of Dallas, Texas, Hugo Parra said he sheltered from the storm with 40 to 50 people - including his pregnant daughter - in the bathroom of a truck stop.

The storm sheared the roof and walls off the building, mangling metal beams and leaving battered cars in the car park.

Mr Parra felt his ears pop as the building broke down around him, saying they were "very lucky" to survive. "The best way to describe this is the wind tried to rip us out of the bathrooms," he said.

In Colorado, a farmer and 34 of his cows were killed in a lightning strike.

A man looks at a damaged car after a tornado hit the day before in Valley View, Texas. Credit: AP

US President Joe Biden sent condolences to the families of those who had died. He said the Federal Emergency Management Agency is on the ground conducting damage assessments, and he has offered federal support to state governors.

Sunday was the busiest severe weather day in the US so far this year, but it's been a grim month of tornadoes and deadly weather across the nation's midsection.

April had the second-highest number of tornadoes on record in the country.

Last week, tornadoes in Iowa left at least five people dead and dozens injured. Storms, meanwhile, killed eight people in Houston earlier this month.

The severe thunderstorms and deadly twisters have spawned during a historically bad season for tornadoes, at a time when climate change contributes to the severity of storms around the world.

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