Another wave of tornadoes turned Mother's Day weekend into tragedy in the Midwest and the South.

At least 22 people were killed as scores of twisters tore their way across four states.

Six people were killed in the small Oklahoma town of Picher.

Violent weather ripped through several states over the weekend.

In Ahoskie, North Carolina powerful winds lifted a church off its foundations, tearing the structure apart.

A storm chaser captured this video in Picher, Oklahoma, where powerful winds up to 175 miles an hour flattened this tiny town of 800.

There was little warning and many residents were caught off guard as they were sitting down for dinner.

John Hutchison and his family huddled in a closet.

"I just wanted them to be OK," said Hutchison.

"I don't think you can get much closer and live."

Some residents were killed as they tried to flee in their cars.

Leftover waste from lead and zinc mines has turned the town of Picher into an environmental cleanup site.

The Federal Government was already buying up houses, so there is little hope that residents whose homes were destroyed will be rebuilt.

After devastating parts of Oklahoma, the killer storm moved to Missouri, creating a mile-wide path of destruction there.

So far, there are 15 dead.

Rescue teams are still going through the wreckage.

One twister left 180,000 without power.

Across the Heartland a total of 66 tornadoes were reported this weekend.

So far this year, at least 97 people have been killed by tornadoes.

97 is the highest fatality number since 1988 and we're not even half-way through the year.

Forecasters predict more tornadoes to develop later this week.

Kentucky also experienced some tornado activity this weekend.

It's been confirmed a tornado touched down in eastern Kentucky.