Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes have left 26 people dead across the eastern United States, including 12 in the state of Tennessee.
CNN reported that the turbulent weather system - said to be the worst outbreak of tornadoes in years - also hammered the states of Ohio and Alabama.
Meanwhile, a tornado warning was in effect in the Washington DC area early today, the National Weather Service reported.
Worst-hit was western Tennessee, where three people died over the weekend in the southern state's Carroll and Montgomery counties, said the state's director of natural hazards Mr Cecil Whaley.
Property damage was reported in a dozen Tennessee counties, according to Mr Whaley, who added that state emergency services were attending to casualties.
"All the medical personnel are on the scenes. We are tracking some new storms coming through now," Mr Whaley said late yesterday.
Conditions for the severe weather were created when a slow-moving cold front from Canada and the Midwest merged with warm air in the southern US, forecasters said.
AFP