Weather tracker: Thunderstorms and tornadoes lash US midwest

Deadly storms batter swaths of US, while heavy rain triggers flooding in south-eastern France and Australia

Severe thunderstorms have battered parts of the US this week as the storm season reaches its climatological peak. The outbreak began last Friday, with Kentucky and Missouri worst affected.

Powerful tornadoes associated with supercell thunderstorms whipped across swaths of the midwest, resulting in 25 deaths. One tornado tore through St Louis, killing seven people.