As communities in the central US grapple with widespread devastation from a line of deadly storms that spawned dozens of tornadoes this week, forecasters are warning of another grave threat to the region: relentless rain into the weekend,

(Reuters) -Tornadoes ripped across a wide swath of the central and southern United States on Wednesday, destroying homes and businesses and bringing down power lines and trees. The National Weather Service said there had been at least 15 reports of tornadoes in at least four states by late Wednesday.