St. Louis, Missouri - More than 20 people have died after severe storms swept through Missouri and Kentucky, officials and local media reports said Saturday.

Kentucky governor Andy Beshear said on X that at least 14 people had died in Friday night's storms. At least seven people were killed in Missouri, the Washington Post reported.

"Kentucky, we're starting today with the tough news that we lost at least 14 of our people to last night's storms, but sadly, this number is expected to grow as we receive more information," Beshear said. "Please pray for all of our affected families."

At least five deaths have been confirmed in the city of St. Louis, which has a population of about 280,000, outlets including the New York Times and CNN reported, citing local authorities. At least 10 people were injured, one seriously.

The storm swept across the area on Friday afternoon, causing severe damage. Hail also fell.

"Our city is grieving tonight," Mayor Cara Spencer told reporters Friday night. "The loss of life and the destruction is truly horrendous."

Storms had already hit parts of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois the day before.

The National Weather Service continues to warn of extreme weather conditions in several states in the Midwest and east of the US.

According to the website poweroutage.us, more than 100,000 households in Missouri were without power on Friday evening. Hundreds of thousands of customers in several other states were also without power.

Experts attribute the rise in natural disasters in the US – such as storms, floods, and forest fires – to the impacts of climate change.