UPDATE 1-Pair of tornadoes kill almost two dozen in Alabama

Rescuers in Alabama on Monday dug through the remnants of homes and businesses destroyed by a pair of tornadoes that killed at last 23 people, the deadliest such storms to hit the United States in almost six years. The tornadoes ripped through Lee County, Alabama, on Sunday with winds of at least 150 miles per hour (240 kph), at the midpoint of the five-step Enhanced Fujita scale that meteorologists use to measure tornado strength.

More than 50 people were reported injured and the death toll is expected to rise, authorities said, which could make the storms deadlier than the tornado that tore through Moore, Oklahoma, in 2013, killing 24 people. Images on television and social media showed trees flattened and homes with walls ripped away.

Lee County, Alabama Sheriff Jay Jones said that rescue and recovery operations overnight were difficult. "The challenge is the sheer volume of the debris where all the homes were located," Jones told CNN on Sunday. "It's the most I've seen that I can recall."

On Twitter, U.S. President Donald Trump urged affected residents of Alabama and other areas to be "careful and safe." "Tornadoes and storms were truly violent and more could be coming," Trump said. "To the families and friends of the victims, and to the injured, God bless you all!"

Temperatures in the state fell to 36 degrees Fahrenheit (2 Celsius) on Monday, leaving some affected by the storm to struggle with lost power and heat. "Those without power who rely on electric heat need to find ways to stay warm," AccuWeather meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski said. (Additional reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta and Gabriella Borter in New York; Editing by Scott Malone and Jeffrey Benkoe)