The toll from tornadoes and other violent storms in the southern United States rose further to at least 21 deaths according to authorities on Monday, while these bad weather moves towards the east of the country.
Since Saturday, tornadoes have swept across the Great Plains of the south of the country, starting from north Texas and moving east, blowing away many buildings and infrastructure in their path.
This weather continues to move towards the Atlantic coast. “Significant thunderstorms” and possible “isolated tornadoes” are expected Monday afternoon from the Great Lakes region to the southeast of the country, according to the US Weather Service (NWS).
In Kentucky, four people died after several tornadoes, Governor Andy Beshear announced during a press conference Monday, specifying that one of them swept this east-central state for at least 65 kilometers.
This caused “significant damage” to power lines, he added. According to the website poweroutage.us, some 165,000 homes are without electricity in the state, more than 500,000 in the entire region.
Impressive images from tornado hunters in the region show these whirlwinds from the sky sending sections of roof into the air and causing sparks on power lines.
Others exhibit houses of which only the foundations remain, the partitions on the ground, a sofa remaining standing among the debris.
In northwest Arkansas, a total of eight people died due to bad weather, a spokeswoman for the state emergency agency told AFP Monday morning. .
Late Saturday night in north Texas, a tornado killed at least seven people according to the sheriff, and two people died in western Oklahoma due to another tornado.
On Sunday, bad weather delayed the start of the legendary Indianapolis 500 mile car race by a few hours.
Tornadoes, a meteorological phenomenon that is as impressive as it is difficult to predict, are relatively common in the United States, particularly in the center and south of the country.