Storm victims in Kentucky and Missouri are digging through tornado-stricken neighborhoods after severe weather swept through parts of the Midwest and South, leaving more than two dozen people dead.

Tornadoes and sever storms hit several parts of the US on Friday, leaving at least 23 dead and thousands of buildings damaged.

The National Weather Service said thunderstorms were widespread across portions of the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio Valleys on Friday. At least half a dozen tornadoes touched down in Missouri and neighboring Illinois and other severe weather stretched all the way to the Atlantic Coast, including another tornado reported in New Jersey.