Severe storms in South and Midwest turn deadly

Violent storms cut through a wide swath of the South and Midwest, spawning tornadoes and killing at least two people, knocking down power lines and trees and ripping roofs off homes.

Dozens of tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued Wednesday in parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Mississippi as storms hit those and other states in the evening. Numerous possible twisters were reported in the South overnight, particularly in Tennessee and Kentucky.

Forecasters attributed the violent weather to daytime heating combining with an unstable atmosphere, strong wind shear and abundant moisture streaming into the nation's midsection from the Gulf.