Large and violent tornadoes have been confirmed in Mississippi, with forecasters warning of considerable damage. States with tornado threats now include Mississippi and Alabama, with Tennessee and Georgia expected to be in the bullseye later.

• The sweeping storm system has left at least 18 people dead in the Central US, including 12 in Missouri. Forecasters issued a rare level 5 of 5 threat for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes in the Deep South on Saturday, warning of “numerous significant tornadoes” that could be long-lasting and exceptionally strong.

• At least 27 tornadoes have been reported since Friday evening across the Midwest and South.

• Severe thunderstorms are expected to push east Sunday and deliver heavy rain and damaging winds to much of the East Coast.
Kentucky mostly “spared” from what Gov. Andy Beshear calls “one of the most concerning weather forecasts” he’s seen
From CNN’s Emma Tucker
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Saturday his state was mostly spared by the dangerous storm system after it was facing “one of the most concerning weather forecasts that I’ve seen as governor.”

“And that’s saying something given what we’ve been through,” Beshear told CNN, adding Kentucky is still recovering from last month’s flooding and deadly storms.

“We were primarily spared, most of it missed us. But really thinking about those families further south from us, we know what it’s like to lose far too many of our people to tornadoes or flooding, and so certainly the Commonwealth stands ready to help in whatever way we can.”
When asked whether Beshear, a Democrat, feels he can count on the federal government for assistance with future storm damage, the governor said: “We have FEMA on the ground right now and while I disagree and disagree strenuously with President Trump’s statements on the future of FEMA, it’s been going well. I do have to compliment their administration in turning around the disaster declaration.”

But Beshear emphasized: “That’s the way that FEMA needs to operate into the future. The idea is that we fix it, we don’t break it.”

The Trump administration’s developing plan for deep staff cuts and drastic changes at the Federal Emergency Management Agency has raised alarm among some state officials and even Republican lawmakers, who worry that it will weaken responses to future disasters.

Beshear called the agency a “critical arm of the federal government that’s there for our families when they need it the most, when they’ve been absolutely devastated.”

At least 12 killed in Missouri following severe weather outbreak

At least 12 people have died following storms in Missouri, according to an afternoon update from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The totals for each county are as follows:

Three fatalities in Ozark County

One fatality in Butler County

Six fatalities in Wayne County

One fatality in Jefferson County

One fatality in St. Louis County

The storm’s death toll now stands at at least 18, with three fatalities reported in Arkansas and three in Texas.