At least 19 people, according to CNN, have died and hundreds of buildings have been damaged by tornado-triggered storms in the US states of Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kentucky, with the latter being placed under a state of emergency this morning by its governor, while meteorologists warn of more intense weather.

“Severe weather continues on its path (…) with many reports of wind and tornado damage,” noted Kentucky Governor Andy Bessar in a post on social media X.

At least 7 people died and nearly 100 were injured Saturday night by a powerful tornado that struck communities in north Texas near the Oklahoma border, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at a news conference yesterday, Sunday.

Among the dead are two children aged 2 and 5 from the same family, he added.

More than 200 homes and other structures were listed as destroyed, while another 120 buildings were damaged in an area stretching more than 50 miles, Abbott noted.

Officials in Arkansas also said at least three people have died due to storms since late Saturday night, including a 73-year-old woman in Baxter County.

The storms caused widespread damage and at least two deaths Saturday night in parts of Oklahoma.

Yesterday also as the storms moved northeastward, causing more severe weather in the heart of the US, a man was killed by a tree that fell due to high winds, which were blowing at about 128 kilometres per hour, in Louisville, Kentucky, according to police.

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The Weather Service warned of additional storms moving through the Ohio and Tennessee valleys, bringing damaging winds, large amounts of hail and more tornadoes, as well as torrential rains that could cause flash flooding.

This recent wave of extreme weather came just days after a tornado hit a rural town in Iowa, killing 4 people, while Texas faced more tornadoes last week.