At least 27 people were reported dead across several states in an expansive outbreak of severe weather from the Heartland to the East Coast with more potentially powerful storms in the forecast for Saturday.
State officials reported 18 people were killed in Kentucky, seven people were killed in Missouri and two in Virginia.
Most of the deaths in Kentucky occurred in Laurel County in the southeastern part of the state, about 130 miles southeast of Louisville.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said, he's been governor for at least 13 federally declared disasters related to weather and this storm was one of the worst in terms of loss of life and damage.
The ages of those killed in the storms ranged from 25 to 76, with at least 12 of the deaths being people in their 60s and 70s, according to information released by state officials.