Photo taken on April 7, 2025 shows a waterlogged area in Frankfort, Kentucky, the United States. [Photo/Xinhua]

At least 21 people have been killed amid fierce storms battering parts of the U.S. Midwest and South with major flooding and powerful tornadoes since Wednesday, according to local media reports on Monday.

Overall, the death toll stood at 10 in Tennessee, three in Missouri, two each in Kentucky, Georgia and Indiana, and one each in Arkansas and Mississippi, said an NBC News report.

The victims included a 9-year-old boy swept away by floodwaters on his way to school in Kentucky, two people killed when a tree fell on them at a golf course in Georgia, a 5-year-old child found in a home in Little Rock, Arkansas, and a 16-year-old volunteer firefighter who died in a car crash when responding to a reported water rescue in Missouri.

AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter said on Monday that it is estimated the economic loss from the severe weather and flooding in recent days is between 80 billion and 90 billion U.S. dollars.

"Unless property owners have specific flood insurance, losses and repairs will most likely not be covered by standard policies," he said.

As of Monday morning, 18 river gauge sites were at major flood stage, and 256 locations across the central United States were at or above flood stage, spanning multiple rivers and tributaries, according to an AccuWeather report.

Rains have ended over the Tennessee, Ohio and Mississippi river basins, but runoff from 8 to 16 inches of rain over just a few days will continue to surge into larger rivers and lead to moderate to major flooding that could persist for weeks, AccuWeather meteorologists advised.

The amount of rain that fell over a four-day stretch was rare, only occurring once every 100 to 1,000 years over a broad area, based on the historical average, they noted.

Forecasters attributed the recent violent weather to warm temperatures, an unstable atmosphere, strong wind shear and abundant moisture streaming from the Gulf, said a report from the weather.com.