Washington - (Saba):
Severe storms that hit the central and eastern United States have killed at least 17 people, officials said, while the National Weather Service warned of additional flooding in the coming days.
A series of storms that struck areas from Arkansas to Ohio in recent days caused damage to buildings, flooded roads, and caused dozens of tornadoes.
Tennessee was the state hardest hit by the severe weather, with local authorities reporting 10 deaths in the western part of the state.
Two people were killed by flooding in Missouri and Kentucky each, while Arkansas, Indiana, and Mississippi each reported one death.
In Jeffersontown, Kentucky, several buildings were destroyed by a tornado.
Images on social media and local media showed widespread damage from the storm in several states, with homes destroyed, trees uprooted, power lines downed, and cars overturned. The National Weather Service warned on Sunday that "the risk of heavy rainfall and flash flooding remains in parts of the Southeast and Gulf Coast region this evening and overnight."
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear wrote on social media that "flooding has reached record levels in many areas," urging residents to "avoid travel and not drive through water."
On Sunday, approximately 140,000 customers were still without power, according to the PowerOutage website.
Scientists say global warming is affecting weather patterns and increasing the frequency of extreme weather events.
Temperatures hit record highs in the United States last year, while a series of devastating hurricanes battered the country.
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