Parts of the U.S. Midwest and South were bracing for hazardous weather on Wednesday, as the National Weather Service placed portions of six states under tornado watches early in the morning.
The states affected were Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois and Tennessee.
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The watches are widest in Arkansas and Kentucky, with multiple counties under a tornado watch until 6 a.m. CDT. Some states have only a handful of counties under watch.
The map below shows the counties in each state that have a tornado watch in place.
Whilst up to six states will be affected by the adverse weather conditions, central Arkansas was placed under a 'severe' thunderstorm warning by the NWS.
Videos shared on social media appeared to show a tornado touching down in Arkansas in the early hours of Wednesday, although the tornado is still unconfirmed.
Several social media users reported that power was out in parts of Arkansas because of the severe weather, and PowerOutage.us recorded more than 20,000 customers in the state as being without power early Wednesday.
The site, which uses utilities data to track power outages, also said more than 30,000 customers had no power in Michigan.
The Great Lakes State was also struck by tornadoes on Tuesday evening, leading to homes and businesses being damaged and several injuries being reported.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency in parts of the state on Tuesday.
The NWS has warned of a severe thunderstorms and flash flooding in the east of the country and said on its official website: "several chances for severe weather and heavy rain are possible from the Midwest and Ohio Valley to the Southern Plains, Lower Mississippi and Tennessee valley."
The vast majority of Tennessee and Kentucky are also on alert for floods on Wednesday.
Residents of these states have been advised by the NWS that "all severe hazards will be possible," which may include severe thunderstorms, very large hail, severe winds and potentially strong tornadoes.
In parts of Kentucky the service has predicted winds of up to 70 miles per hour.
During tornado watches and weather warnings, the NWS urges residents in affected areas to ensure they have multiple ways to receive tornado warnings and have a plan in place for where to take shelter, should the need arise.
Recently, much of the U.S. South has faced prolonged threats of extreme weather.
On Monday, Oklahoma was ravaged by a "mile wide" tornado which struck the area around Bartlesville. Barnsdall, a small town north of Tulsa was also hit, for the second time in just one month.
Last week, dramatic footage circulated on social media showing storm chaser Freddy McKinney rescuing a family of four after their home was destroyed by a tornado near Hawley, Texas.
Do you have a story we should be covering? Do you have any questions about tornados or other extreme weather events? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com
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Joe Edwards is a Live News Reporter in Newsweek's London bureau.
