Weather tracker: winter warmth fuels tornadoes in US south-east

Storms cause several deaths in Alabama and Georgia, while parts of eastern Europe also hit record highs

Although temperatures have plummeted in the UK since last weekend, it has been warmer across the Atlantic in southern parts of the US. Dallas Fort Worth airport broke daily maximum records on consecutive days last week, reaching 29C (85F) on 11 January.

The warmth also affected areas further east, with a moist, southerly air mass helping to fuel severe thunderstorms that produced a preliminary count of 60 tornadoes in the south-east on the 12th. The tornadoes resulted in several fatalities in Alabama and Georgia, with one tornado tracking over a path 76 miles long. It has been a very active start to the year across the US, with more than 700 severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings issued already. As of 18 January there had been 135 tornadoes, well above the average of 30 expected up to this point.