At least 18 people, including four children, die in the United States due to bad weather

At least 18 people, including four children, have died in four US states - Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky - after suspected tornadoes hit the central United States, CNN reports, UNN writes.

Details

Nearly 109 million people across large swaths of the United States were threatened by heavy hail, damaging winds and fierce tornadoes on Sunday, mostly in the middle of Mississippi, Ohio and the Tennessee River Valley.

There were at least 11 reports of tornadoes on Sunday, and more severe weather was expected on Memorial Day.

At least 8 people died in Arkansas due to severe weather. Another 7 people died in Texas, including a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old. Two died in Oklahoma and one death was reported in Kentucky.

According to poweroutage.us, a tracking site, more than 642,000 customers in 13 states were without power late Sunday night, including more than 135,000 power outages in Kentucky alone.

More than 120 million people are at risk of severe weather on Monday, on the East Coast, south of New England. 

Also, a heat wave warning is in effect in southern Texas until Monday evening.

As the storms move eastward, the Storm Prediction Center warned of "severe tornadoes, large hail, and corridors of widespread wind damage." Extreme weather conditions have led to power outages and forced people to seek shelter.

Storms - and sweltering heat in some areas - could affect events over the Memorial Day weekend. The start of the Indianapolis 500 was postponed due to lightning fears, and NBC lost its signal during the pre-race broadcast.

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