At least 18 people died in Kentucky, seven in Missouri and two in Virginia, authorities say, as severe weather including tornadoes and hail sweeps the U.S.

At least 27 people have been killed by storms systems that swept across part of the U.S. Midwest and South, with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announcing Saturday that 18 of the deaths came in his state and 10 others were hospitalized in critical condition.

At least 27 people were reported dead across several states in an expansive outbreak of severe weather from the Heartland to the East Coast -- with more potentially powerful storms in the forecast for Saturday.