At least three people were killed overnight as powerful storms ripped through the central and eastern United States, bringing torrential rain, hail and even tornadoes.

Parts of Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and the Carolinas were all pummeled into Thursday morning as severe weather continues to cause widespread damage throughout a large swath of the United States amid a multi-state tornado outbreak that began May 6.

More than 22 million people in eight states had been under a tornado watch Wednesday evening in portions of eight states: Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

The damage appeared to be the worst in Tennessee and North Carolina, where three people were killed.

A 22-year-old man died in Claiborne County, Tennessee, after a tree fell on his vehicle around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, authorities said. In Maury County, about 50 miles southeast of Nashville, another person was killed and four others were injured after a tornado ripped through the area.

In North Carolina, one person died in the storm Wednesday after a tree fell on a car, according to Gaston County officials. Another person was rescued and transported to the hospital.

Several supercell thunderstorms swept across south-central Kentucky as well into Wednesday evening, brining large hail, damaging winds and the potential for tornadoes, the weather service said at 7 p.m. Wednesday

Supercells are the least common type of thunderstorm and tend to produce hazardous weather. 

Here's a look at some of the images and videos surfacing of the damage, the extent of which is still being assessed Thursday morning.

USA TODAY power outage tracker:Where in the U.S. are people without power?

Photos of severe weather destruction in Tennessee, North Carolina

Images, video of storms' aftermath appear on social media

Amid the widespread power outages, the Tennessee Valley Authority said in a post on social media site X that high-voltage transmission crews were working Thursday morning to assess and repair the damage in middle Tennessee and western Kentucky.

Video shared on X by the Tennessean, a USA TODAY network publication, showed the flooding, hail and downed trees left in the wake of the storms.

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]