Easter Sunday tornadoes hit the South

At least 7 dead in Mississippi as Easter Sunday tornadoes hit the South; more storms forecast for Monday in the East

As Americans marked Easter Sunday amid the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, the South faced a new menace.

A dangerous storm system that produced at least 13 radar-confirmed tornadoes battered Mississippi and Louisiana on Sunday night, killing at least seven people, damaging homes and other buildings and leaving more than 60,000 customers without power across the two states.

The fatalities were reported across four counties in Mississippi, according to local authorities. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency.

"This is not how anyone wants to celebrate Easter Sunday," Reeves said on Twitter. "As we reflect on the death and resurrection on this Easter Sunday, we have faith that we will all rise together.

As the storms began to move out of Mississippi, some residents may need to prepare for flooding after some areas received up to seven inches of rain on Sunday, said Eric Carpenter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson.

While the storm system will start to weaken on Sunday night, AccuWeather meteorologist Alan Reppert told USA TODAY that parts of Arkansas and Tennessee should prepare for especially strong winds.

More than 120,000 customers were already without power in Arkansas late Sunday, according to poweroutages.us.

Photos of damage began circulating on social media, from down trees and power lines to damaged barns and flattened homes. At one point during a Facebook Livestream, a NWS meteorologist used the phrase "deadly tornado" five times in less than 30 seconds. They repeatedly begged people to take cover, warning the coming tornadoes were "violent" and "catastrophic."