Tornadoes hit south-eastern US with more on the way

Lots of people's houses were damaged like here in Missouri

Several states in the south-east of the United States have been hit by big tornadoes this weekend.

More than 250,000 homes and businesses were without power across seven states - including Michigan, Missouri and Illinois - overnight into Sunday, according to tracker PowerOutage.

And the storms are set to continue into this week, with tornado warnings in place in parts of multiple southern states.

Arkansas' Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has declared a state of emergency, along with Georgia's governor, Brian Kemp.

She also said she's spoken with President Donald Trump about the ongoing situation.

She wrote on social media that the president "said to tell the people of Arkansas he loves them and he and his administration are here to help with whatever we need following last night's tornadoes".

Some people living in Oklahoma were told to evacuate as more than 130 fires were reported across the state.

Workers remove damaged trees in Southern California

Along with the tornadoes there's been dust storms, wildfires, hail and heavy rain in some places.

A number of people have died in the storms, but emergency services are working hard to keep people safe in affected areas.

In Missouri, Governor Mike Kehoe said emergency services and volunteers "worked tirelessly" through the night "in response to a series of devastating tornadoes and severe storms, and before that, dangerous and damaging fires."

People taking shelter in Middle Tennessee State University

The states of Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Alabama and Arkansas have all had flash floods.

This is when rain falls really quickly and intensely with not enough time to drain away.

There are further flood warnings in these areas, too.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in the US warned people to find strong structures to protect themselves in the coming storms: "If you live in these areas, get to the sturdiest structure you have access to and remain in place until the storms pass."

What is a tornado?

Tornadoes are fast-rotating columns of air, stretching from the ground to the sky.

They happen naturally, but only in very specific circumstances during stormy weather.

Tornadoes can be hard to spot until they start to pick up dust and debris, which gives them the appearance of a swirling grey vortex.