Residents assess damage after a severe storm moved through Marmaduke, Arkansas, April 2, 2006

Tornadoes and severe storms in the central United States have killed at least 27 people, and sent dozens of others to the hospital with injuries since Sunday night.

Authorities say most of the deaths occurred in the state of Tennessee, where an entire family of four was killed in one incident. High winds caused two deaths in neighboring Missouri and another death in Illinois, near the Missouri border.

Severe thunderstorms, high winds, large hail and tornadoes also hit parts of Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana and Iowa.

The storms have caused significant property damage, and local reports say debris and fallen trees have blocked roads, hampering emergency efforts.

The federal Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma said it had preliminary reports of 63 tornadoes.

Weather forecasters say the severe weather pattern is now moving toward the southeastern United States, from Washington, DC to Georgia.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.