Matt Spivey
Live page editor

"It's here, it's here! We're in a tornado."

As tornadoes swept across the US, this became reality for some people caught in severe weather conditions.

At least 20 people have been killed across four US states, including three deaths in car crashes during a dust storm in Texas.

In Missouri, which recorded 12 fatalities, affected locals are coming to terms with their new reality - salvaging what they can and beginning the clean up operation on sites where their homes had been stood yesterday.

Thousands remain without power as flash flood warnings are in place, while tornado watch notices and warnings remain in place for parts of the US.

As parts of the US look ahead to more extreme weather forecast to last until Sunday morning, the National Weather Service urges people to seek shelter.

We're now ending our live coverage, but you can keep up to date in our news story. Thanks for joining us.

Mary Litchfield
UGC Hub

Image source, Getty Images

At a trailer park in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, people have been left with nowhere else to go after tornadoes destroyed all but two homes on the site.

A nearby church that provided shelter for locals was "demolished in the storm", owner of the trailer park Joe Scobey tells us.

Joe's grandson Camden Scobey, who chases storms, says he jumped into action to help those in need of assistance.

He says "it was completely dark... a man climbed out of his home and was very bloody and had no shoes on", he adds that another man "had been thrown by the tornado and his trailer completely destroyed".

Another local, Aaron Maxwell, tells the BBC that one trailer had been "flipped upside down" as one lady became trapped after " a roof fell on top of her and pinned her down".

Joe adds: “We’re very fortunate, there was no loss of life but it looks like a warzone.”

We're seeing some drone footage of neighbourhoods in Missouri that have been impacted by the severe weather.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has advised people living in areas with active tornado warnings in place to "get to the sturdiest structure you have access to and remain in place until the storms pass".

The NWS website shares advice, external for what to do in the event of a tornado:

• At home: Go to your basement, safe room, or an interior room away from windows. Don't forget pets if time allows.
• At work or school: Follow your tornado drill and proceed to your tornado shelter location quickly and calmly. Stay away from windows and do not go to large open rooms such as cafeterias, gymnasiums, or auditoriums.
• Outside: Seek shelter inside a sturdy building immediately if a tornado is approaching. Sheds and storage facilities are not safe. Neither is a mobile home or tent. If you have time, get to a safe building.
• In a vehicle: Being in a vehicle during a tornado is not safe. The best course of action is to drive to the closest shelter. If you are unable to make it to a safe shelter, either get down in your car and cover your head, or abandon your car and seek shelter in a low lying area such as a ditch or ravine.

Many areas across southern US could be hit with flash floods, the National Weather Forecast (NWF) has warned, adding that it could turn "deadly".

"It takes only 12 inches of fast-moving water to carry off a small car," the NWF wrote in a post on X.

"Remember that road barricades are put up for a reason. Driving around them puts you and your rescuers in danger. Turn Around, Don’t Drown."

Nearly 100,000 customers are currently without power in the state of Missouri, according to the PowerOutage.us website.

Arkansas, Indiana, Texas and Mississippi also all have more than 10,000 customers without power, while Michigan has around 70,000, data from the website shows.

The death toll related to recent weather conditions in Missouri has risen to 12.

Missouri State Highway Patrol have reported, in the last few moments, that an additional death has occurred in St Louis.

Earlier we reported on 11 deaths in the state, across counties including Jefferson and Ozark.

This update brings the total number of fatalities, as a result of the severe weather, to 20.

Elizabeth Rizzini
BBC Weather

Tornadoes need particularly intense or unseasonable heat to develop. As the ground temperature increases, moist air heats and starts to rise.

When this moist, warm air meets dry, cold air above, a thundercloud begins to build.

This cloud can develop quickly, bringing with it rain, thunder and lightning.

Winds blowing from different directions cause the air to rotate, after which a visible cone or funnel drops out of the cloud towards the ground.

Tornadoes can be hundreds of metres wide. They can last anywhere from several seconds to more than an hour, and can travel dozens of miles.

The Enhanced Fujita scale is used to determine how powerful a tornado is. The tornadoes this afternoon were expected to reach 3 or 4 on the Fujita scale, meaning wind gusts of up to 200 mph.

"Everything here is really bad."

Missouri locals in Butler County are facing the aftermath of a tornado ripping through their neighbourhood.

A petrol station in the area saw a "total loss" of its canopy, and its fuel pumps were "pulled out of the ground" by the severe weather.

Image source, Reuters

The four states where we've seen tornado-related deaths confirmed over the last 24 lie within a path frequently hit by the weather systems.

It has earned this stretch of the US the unofficial name Tornado Alley.

In 2024, 54 people were killed in tornado-related incidents, according to Noaa, external. Nine people died in Texas. There were eight in Oklahoma, five in Arkansas and one in Missouri.

The National Weather Service issues tornado forecasts across the US - we've been citing this service throughout our page.

It uses two categories: a watch and a warning.

A watch means severe weather is possible in the coming few hours, while a warning means severe weather has been observed, or is expected within minutes.

After a tornado warning, people are advised to take "immediate" safety precautions.

Image source, National Weather Service

A rare high-risk of severe weather warning is in place across the south-east of the US.

The forecasted tornado outbreak has already started and will continue overnight, with a risk of more extending into the Florida panhandle and Georgia.

This is a multi-hazard storm. Moist air is moving northwards, with a cold front moving eastwards. Strong winds in the upper atmosphere are helping the storms rotate, forming tornadoes.

The most serious risk across the afternoon in the US is in Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi. Other hazards include large hail, strong winds and flooding.

Some of these tornadoes could be at the second-highest level on the scale used to measure them, meaning they are categorised as "violent". These tornadoes are very fast-moving and they could last for over an hour on the ground, causing severe damage on a localised area.

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared a state of emergency on Saturday, after storms left at least three dead and 29 injured across the southern state.

"Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes struck Arkansas and continue to cause dangers, hardships, and suffering throughout the state, which in turn, warrants this executive action,” she said in a statement on Saturday morning.

The state of emergency will remain in force until 29 March unless otherwise stated, she added.

States across southern and central US have been dealing with a range of extreme weather conditions, including Texas, which has reported at least three deaths in car crashes caused by dust storms.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol posted images yesterday of overturned lorries via their Facebook account. They warned at the time of low visibility due to blowing dust and smoke from fires.

Image source, Oklahoma Highway Patrol/Facebook

Image source, Oklahoma Highway Patrol/Facebook

A "tornado watch" notice has been put in place for central Tennessee until 21:00 CDT (02:00 GMT).

"Several tornadoes, a couple of which could be intense, large hail, and damaging wind are possible," the National Weather Service warned.

Tennessee's emergency agency urged residents to plan for power outages and unplug electronic appliances in case of an energy surge.

We've now had confirmation, via our US partner CBS News, that Texas has recorded four weather-related fatalities.

Some of those occurred as a result of car crashes amid a dust storm.

This brings the total death toll to 19, up from the earlier 18 we reported.

CBS cites Sergeant Cindy Barkley, of the state's department of public safety, as saying: "It's the worst I've ever seen."

Image source, Missouri State Highway Patrol

Missouri has seen the most deadly impact of this extreme weather event so far, with at least 11 people confirmed dead.

Images taken by emergency service personnel on the ground show buildings ripped in half and large trucks flipped over.

We're still learning details about the deadly storms overnight.

In Butler County, where one person was killed, the coroner's office wrote on Facebook that officials "hiked nearly a mile" into the "heart of the damage area" to investigate where multiple fatalities had been reported. They were able to evacuate some people from danger.

More tornadoes are expected to hit the region today. We'll bring you the latest.

Image source, Missouri State Highway Patrol

As severe weather hits parts of the US, the BBC has acquired footage that shows the ferocity of the storms sweeping across several states.

"It's here, it's here! We're in a tornado," the man says as he shelters in his car.

Image source, Getty Images

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency on Saturday, as a deadly severe weather pattern is predicted to hit his state by Sunday morning.

"Be prepared ahead of time and remain weather aware as long as this system is in the state," he says in a post on X.

The emergency order will empower emergency officials to more speedily mobilise extra resources.