Canton, Texas: At least 10 people have been killed by tornadoes or flooding in the US South and Midwest with a rare late-season blizzard hitting western Kansas.

Tornadoes hit several small towns in East Texas, killing four people. Three people were killed by flooding and winds in Arkansas, with officials saying two more people were missing.

Rushing water swept away a car, drowning a woman in Missouri; and a death was reported in Sunday morning storms that raked Mississippi.

An Arkansas volunteer fire department chief was killed while working during storms in north-central Arkansas, state police said.