A 12-year-old boy is reported to be among the dead following powerful storms that stretched across the middle of the country.

Onlookers captured footage of the moment a tornado swept through Union City in the US state of Michigan, destroying homes and uprooting trees. A separate video shows people seeking shelter indoors as another tornado in the city of Three Rivers sent large chunks of debris and dust flying across a car park.

Three people have been killed in an apparent tornado in southern Michigan on Friday, authorities said, as powerful storms ripped across the state, tearing the roof off a home improvement store and knocking down trees.

This was a violent tornado, which caused extensive damage in the area (part of the same supercell that caused a tornado in Three Rivers).

Tornadoes ripped through parts of southwest Michigan on Friday afternoon, destroying buildings, leveling trees, and knocking out power.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer will declare a state of emergency for several counties affected by the severe storm Friday that killed four, injured more than a dozen and left thousands without power.

The governor also announced that the State Emergency Operations Center had been activated to coordinate a statewide response.

Rounds of severe weather and high winds stormed across the state on Friday, leaving destruction and power outages.