Parts of the Midwest and South faced the possibility of torrential rains and life-threatening flash floods even as many communities were still reeling from tornadoes that killed several people.

(Reuters) -Tornadoes ripped across a wide swath of the central and southern United States on Wednesday, destroying homes and businesses and bringing down power lines and trees. The National Weather Service said there had been at least 15 reports of tornadoes in at least four states by late Wednesday.

Dozens of tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings were issued Wednesday in parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Mississippi as storms hit those and other states in