The tornado warnings have expired for Danville and surrounding areas with minimal damage reported at this point. A flash flood warning remains in effect for Martinsville, Lynchburg and the counties of Henry, Patrick, Franklin, Bedford, and Stokes through 10 a.m.

A tornado warning expired in Danville this morning with no reports of damage. There were some scattered power outages on the western portion of Danville’s service area.

High winds slammed much of Virginia and North Carolina before dawn. Martinsville and Henry County saw strong winds and more than 3 inches of rain. A flash flood watch was in effect there through 10:00 Monday morning.

Strong storms pounding the Deep South have killed at least 18 people in three states and sending more than a dozen to hospitals.

The Chattanooga, Tennessee area appeared to be particularly hard-hit, with search and rescue teams responding to hundreds of calls for help.

Ten states have been under flash flood, tornado and thunderstorm warnings and watches overnight and around 750,000 people are waking up without electricity.

Homes have been damaged by the hundreds from Louisiana and Arkansas to the Carolinas. Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency, saying “this is not how anyone wants to celebrate Easter.” The National Weather Service said the severe weather battered the mid-Atlantic region Monday morning.

Over 40 tornadoes were confirmed on Sunday throughout the states, inflicting “catastrophic” and deadly damage in their paths.

According to emergency officials, at least eight people in Mississippi were killed and many more have reported injuries. The city of Monroe, Louisiana, was hit with several suspected tornadoes, which destroyed 300 homes and damaged the Monroe Regional Airport.

A wind advisory remains in effect for Danville through 4:00 Monday afternoon.