At least one person has been killed after a huge tornado ripped through New Orleans with homes destroyed, power lines blown down and streets full of debris in scenes of devastation.
A dark funnel cloud touched down in the city and ploughed through neighbourhoods a day after twisters destroyed homes and injured people elsewhere in the deep south of the United States.
St. Bernard Parish President Guy McInnis told local media at least one person was killed but offered no further details.
There were no official reports of the number of people injured.
Tornado warnings have been given for the south eastern part of Louisana where social images show petrified residents looking on at the storm and its trail of damage.
The National Weather Service (NWS) for New Orleans stated: “This is a particularly dangerous situation. Take cover now!
“Flying debris may be deadly to those caught without shelter. Mobile homes will be destroyed. Considerable damage to homes, businesses, and vehicles is likely and complete destruction is possible."
Footage showed major damage with cars flipped and debris lying in New Orleans streets which have been blocked.
And a dramatic video recorded the tornado as it moved across the city at night. The dark image of the twister can be picked out above the lights in residential areas.
Another tweet by New Orleans NWS said: "Damage in Gretna has been reported and an NWS employee reported a tornado on the ground with the storm moving just west of Arabi and moving northeast into NOLA east now.
"Take cover! Tornado is on the ground."
Later it said that the tornado had passed but warned of rain in the area.
"New Orleans - you are cleared. The tornado and associated storm have moved to the east. There are still showers around but none are severe at this time," it stated.
Tornado warnings remain in place for the cities in the region of Slidell, Picayune and Nicholson. There are also special marine warnings in place on the Mississippi River.
The storm front was bringing heavy rains of up to six inches and wind gusts of 45 miles per hour to Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama as National Weather Service forecasters warned that some 5 million people in the region could see dangerous weather on Tuesday.
"This is the typical time of the year for these events to unfold. Spring-time is prime for severe weather," said Roger Erickson, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
A video posted on Twitter by Fox8 television showed several firefighters near a house in Arabi with no roof and its walls toppled over.
Damaged buildings, downed power lines and debris strewn across a street were seen in St. Bernard Parish, a few miles from downtown New Orleans, in video posted on Twitter by Fox19 television.
"We had five or six houses totally demolished. There were people in the homes, so far everyone is accounted for," Parish President Guy McInnis said on WDSU television.
St. Bernard Parish Sheriff Jimmy Pohlmann told news site NOLA.com he had reports of some people trapped.
In Arabi, the tornado blew off roofs and knocked over trees and utility poles, NOLA.com reported.
A video posted on Twitter by Fox8 television showed firefighters near a house in Arabi with no roof and its walls toppled over.
Utility provider Atmos Energy told NOLA.com more than 15,000 customers were without power, including 8,000 in New Orleans.
School districts across the region cancelled classes and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge closed its campus for the day due to the inclement weather.
As of Tuesday afternoon, some 55,000 homes and businesses were without power in Texas and Louisiana, according to Poweroutages.com.
The rough weather comes a day after tornadoes ripped through north and central Texas.
Three people were injured when a reported tornado tore through two mobile homes in Houston, the National Weather Service said. Four other people suffered minor injuries in the storms in Upshur County in eastern Texas.
A family of three people was rescued from the rubble of their home in Bowie, Texas, after a tornado touched down there, the local NBC affiliate reported. One woman was hospitalized.
