The storms pummeled sections of Missouri, Kansas, Tennessee and Arkansas, with the toll of the dead and injured expected to climb Monday.

Twisters battered Missouri's Kansas City for nearly three hours Sunday afternoon, killing at least one person and causing widspread destruction.

"This is the worst damage I've seen from a tornado in several years," Missouri Governor Bob Holden said after visiting a devastated Kansas City neighborhood.

Southwest Missouri appeared to be the hardest hit with as many 12 fatalities, according to officials there.

Soft ball-sized hail fell in some areas as high winds toppled power lines and funnel clouds ripped off roofs and flattened neighborhoods.

SPACE.WIRE