Tornado watch continues in southern US, with 2 reported dead in Alabama

At least 30 tornado reports have been issued since Tuesday afternoon

Lightning streaks across the sky in Jackson, Mississippi, as portions of the southern US brace for a possible tornado. AP

Severe storms and tornadoes continued to threaten parts of the southern US on Wednesday, with officials reporting at least two deaths in Alabama.

As bad weather patterns moved east from Texas, threatening a stretch of territory where more than 25 million people live, the National Weather Service warned that tornadoes have the potential to destroy entire communities.

Several tornado warnings were issued from Tuesday afternoon into the night. The states of Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Georgia were particularly threatened by severe weather.

At least 30 tornado reports have been issued since Tuesday, with the bulk coming in Mississippi, the NWS's Storm Prediction Centre said.

High winds damaged power lines and more than 13cm of rain accumulated over several hours in some parts of Mississippi.

Two people were killed in the Flatwood community north of the city of Montgomery, Alabama, said Christina Thornton, director of the Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency.

She said others in the area were injured and that search and rescue teams were checking houses in the area on Wednesday morning.

A suspected tornado damaged homes in Hale County, Alabama, where the emergency director said more than one third of residents live in mobile homes, which are highly vulnerable to storm damage.

Two other people were reported injured in Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, Sheriff Clay Bennett told local media.

More than 30,000 people in Alabama and Mississippi were left without power on Wednesday morning, tracker poweroutage.us showed.

The Associated Press contributed to this report