Deaths have been confirmed in the states of Kentucky, Missouri, and Virginia. Several people are feared to be trapped under rubble since buildings were destroyed and collapsed in the powerful storms.
18 of the deaths have been reported in Kentucky, according to the state's governor Andy Beshear. The affected areas in eastern Kentucky belong to the poorest in the USA.
Friday's severe weather caused, among other things, serious damage in Missouri, created tornadoes in Wisconsin, left hundreds of thousands without power in the Great Lakes area and led to a widespread heatwave in Texas.
In the city of Saint Louis in Missouri, over 100,000 households were left without power and 5,000 homes were damaged. At least 38 people were injured, according to the city's mayor Cara Spencer.
The weather agency National Weather Service (NWS) is also warning of hail in "baseball-sized" hail in several states, including Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois.
