On Sunday at 12:51 a.m. an updated tornado watch was released by the National Weather Service in effect until 3 a.m. for Barbour, Bullock, Pike and Russell counties.

The watch, which had been anticipated, is in effect until 3 a.m. on Sunday and its issuance comes as a large area of deadly and dangerous weather moves across Alabama.

The National Weather Service has issued a Tornado Watch across North Alabama. The watch is in effect until 8 p.m. Saturday and includes Colbert County, Cullman County, DeKalb County, Franklin County,

Millions of Americans across the country are on alert for a severe weather outbreak as violent, long-track tornadoes with damaging winds of up to 80 mph and large hail are expected across the Midwest and South with the cross-country storm moving east.

Meanwhile, the severe weather threat will linger through Sunday from Florida northward into the upper Ohio River Valley, forecasters warned.

A powerful storm system sweeping through the central and southern United States has resulted in the deaths of at least 33 people.

Investigators with the National Weather Service will spend today working to establish the intensity of tornadoes that hit the southern U.S. Unconfirmed twisters in Alabama hit northwest of Tuscaloosa and southeast of the state capitol of Montgomery.

At least two people died in Alabama as a wave of severe storms spawned tornadoes across Alabama throughout Saturday evening, causing power outages, downed trees and destroyed structures throughout the state.

When severe weather tore through central Alabama on Saturday night, residents in Calera were told to take cover after a tornado was spotted in the area.