Deaths, extensive damage - Tornado in Michigan, severe outbreak continues

A tornado has killed at least four people in the US state of Michigan. The south-west of the state was particularly hard hit by severe thunderstorms on Friday and during the night leading into Saturday.

Three people died near Union City, and twelve others were injured. Another person was killed in the Edwardsburg area. Several houses were destroyed, and trees were uprooted.

The tornado developed in a powerful line of thunderstorms that swept across the region on Friday afternoon. Tornado warnings were in effect at times across large parts of the state.

Thousands of households are without power. The storm system is moving farther eastward, and locally there is still a risk of additional tornadoes.

The severe outbreak continues on Saturday into Sunday with the chance of large hail, at least the size of a softball, across Central Texas through the Hill Country, with tornadoes and damaging winds also possible. Across western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, there is a chance for a few tornadoes as well as damaging winds as the cold front pushes through the afternoon into the early evening.

Although there could still be a few storms on Sunday, most of the organized ones will remain focused across central and eastern North Carolina. Across the Gulf states and much of Texas, the environment will remain moist, with a good chance of scattered showers. There is a marginal chance for flash flooding extending from Southeastern Texas through much of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and northern Georgia.