At least 18 dead across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas in severe storms

Severe storms implicit the play led to the deaths of astatine slightest 18 radical crossed Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas, according to accusation from the Associated Press and updated accusation from Arkansas precocious Sunday night.

Across the 5 states affected, 25 tornadoes were reported, according to officials.

Texas deed hard

In Texas, 7 radical died, and much than 1 100 were injured arsenic the terrible upwind swept done the state, Gov. Greg Abbott said astatine a quality league connected Sunday evening.

Abbott said 106 counties successful Texas were nether catastrophe declarations.

More than 200 homes oregon structures were destroyed and different 120 damaged, Texas officials said Sunday, pursuing tornado enactment that was preliminarily an EF2 with 125 mph winds.

Abbott mourned those who were killed successful the storms, saying, "There's lone 1 happening that cannot beryllium rebuilt, and that's a nonaccomplishment of beingness -- That's wherefore we ever accent to everybody, immoderate you bash successful immoderate benignant of storm, enactment beingness first."

A 2-year-old and a 5-year-old from the aforesaid household were killed successful Cooke County, Texas, officials said. The children were among the 7 radical who were killed successful the area, which is northbound of Dallas, the Cooke County Sheriff's Office told The Associated Press connected Sunday.

The tornado that went done Cooke County was preliminarily rated an EF-2 with winds up to 135 mph.

The tempest tore done a roadside question halfway adjacent Valley View, Texas, earlier continuing done a assemblage of manufactured homes, according to Cooke County, Texas, Sheriff Ray Sappington.

More than 60 radical were injured, helium told Dallas-Fort Worth ABC affiliate WFAA.

Most of those fatalities occurred astatine the adjacent FRF Estates successful Valley View, a assemblage of manufactured homes astir 60 miles northwest of Dallas, according to Sappington.

He said exigency effect crews were combing the improvement for survivors Sunday greeting amid "major damage."

Sappington said different hard-hit country was the Gateway AP Travel Center successful Valley View, wherever galore radical pulled disconnected the roadworthy to question structure successful the parking batch oregon successful the motortruck stop's restrooms. Sappington said 60 to 80 radical were injured astatine the facility.

"The tempest has caused important harm to galore homes and businesses, including the Gateway AP Travel Center, which received large damage," the Cooke County Sheriff's Office said successful a connection Sunday morning. "Emergency services are actively searching the debris for missing persons, and determination person been galore injuries of varying degrees reported."

Sappington warned radical to enactment distant from the storm-damaged areas arsenic exigency crews searched for survives and cleared roads of debris.

"It would truly assistance if radical conscionable stayed distant close now, gave america a fewer hours to get our hunt and rescue done," Sappington said. "I cognize immoderate radical were retired of the country and trying to get back, but it's unsafe retired there. Power lines are down. There person been reports of state leaks. It's conscionable unsafe close now. Just springiness america immoderate clip to bash what we request to do. We're trying to inactive rescue people. The champion happening radical tin bash close present is springiness america a small time."

Meanwhile, a landslide closed some directions of Highway 340 successful Bella Vista, Texas, according to the Bella Vista Police Department. The road was closed aft the crushed underneath the roadway was washed retired by dense rains and "compromised the roadworthy surface," constabulary said.

2 killed successful Arkansas, officials say

Arkansas officials said astatine slightest 2 radical were killed erstwhile a imaginable tornado deed aboriginal Sunday morning. One idiosyncratic was recovered dormant successful Benton County successful the northwest portion of the state, and a 26-year-old pistillate was discovered dormant extracurricular a destroyed location successful Olvey successful Boone County, officials said.

In summation to the 2 deaths, respective radical were injured successful Benton County, Barry Moehring, a Benton County judge, said during a quality conference.

At slightest 1 imaginable tornado ripped done the Benton County municipality of Decatur and 2 others appeared to interaction down adjacent Beaver Lake, Moehring said.

Numerous trees and powerlines were knocked down successful the tempest and almighty straight-line winds besides caused important harm successful Bentonville, wherever portion of the courthouse was destroyed, Moehring said.

He said exigency crews were responding to reports of radical trapped successful the rubble.

Police successful Rogers, Arkansas, besides successful Benton County, posted photos Sunday connected Facebook showing wide harm successful downtown Rogers. The Rogers Police Department said exigency teams were searching for survivors and assessing the damage.

"All our large streets person trees oregon are closed, and we are inactive responding and trying to get to calls. Too galore cars connected the streets hamper our response," the Rogers Police Department said successful a Facebook station asking radical not to thrust astir barricades.

2 deaths successful Oklahoma

At slightest 2 radical were killed erstwhile a imaginable tornado deed Pryor, Oklahoma, astir 45 miles eastbound of Tulsa, the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner told Tulsa ABC affiliate KTUL.

Latest forecasts

The menace of much terrible upwind connected Sunday shifted eastbound implicit parts of the Mississippi and Ohio River valley, wherever aggregate rounds of beardown storms are possible.

The National Weather Service issued tornado watches done 3 p.m. CT connected Sunday for parts of cardinal Kentucky -- including the cities of Louisville and Bowling Green -- and occidental and mediate Tennessee, including Nashville and Knoxville.

Severe storms are forecast to deed a wide swath of the Great Plains connected Sunday nighttime and determination into Iowa, wherever residents are inactive cleaning up from a bid of deadly hurricanes that struck adjacent Des Moines connected Tuesday night, leveling fractional of the municipality of Greenfield and sidesplitting 4 people, officials said.

The astir aggravated storms are expected crossed parts of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, bluish Tennessee and the southwestern borderline of Ohio, wherever determination is an enhanced hazard of damaging winds, hail and tornadoes.

In summation to the terrible thunderstorm and tornado threats, perchance unsafe flash flooding is forecast from Sunday day and into Sunday nighttime from confederate Missouri to overmuch of Kentucky.

Strong, slow-moving thunderstorms are expected Sunday day and could nutrient torrential rainfall and flash flooding successful respective states, including Illinois, Tennessee and Kentucky. The top menace of flooding is expected to hap successful confederate Illinois astir Carbondale.