Severe thunderstorm warnings threaten southern US

Severe weather, including tornadoes and hail the size of tennis balls, is threatening parts of the southern US on Wednesday, forecasters have said.

Areas of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana are under severe thunderstorm warnings, including potentially "very large hail and damaging winds", said meteorologists.

Tornado warnings are in place for swathes of Alabama and Georgia.

Daily hailstorms have plagued the southern plains US since Saturday.

A tornado warning will remain in effect in Alabama and Georgia until late Wednesday afternoon, National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist John Delock said.

One twister has already touched down on Wednesday in Eufaula in eastern Alabama, although the extent of any damage is so far unclear.

Wind gusts in other parts of the state have reached 60mph (96 km/h), he said.

NWS meteorologist Juan Hernandez said: "It's a little late in the year to be getting daily hailstorms across the southern plains, this number of consecutive days."

Any hail over 1in in diameter is considered large. When it exceeds 2in, as is forecast for Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas, it becomes dangerous, he said.

"If it hits you in the wrong spot it can cause death," he said.

He blamed the weather on unusually high amounts of wind sheer, when the wind moves at different speeds and directions in the upper levels of the atmosphere, where temperatures are much lower.

On Monday, local forecasters described "supersised" chunks of hail - 5in in diameter - that smashed car windshields in Mansfield, Texas.

Mr Hernandez said the storms are expected to give way at the weekend to triple-digit temperatures that may last into early next week.