Severe storms in southern US kill at least nine people

Storms producing tornadoes and heavy rains have rolled through parts of the southern United States, killing at least nine people and leaving more than one million customers without power, according to authorities.

The National Weather Service said the powerful storm had mostly left the south of the country by late Friday and was moving to the northeastern US, where it was forecast to cause heavy snow and sleet from southeastern Michigan east to New York state.

More than 1.4 million homes and businesses were without power in states affected by the storm, according to data from PowerOutage.us.

Violent storms are frequent in the southern US in winter months, as warm, moist air comes up from the Gulf of Mexico and collides with colder air moving down from the north, meteorologists say.