Storms blasting through the southern United States have killed at least two people and injured others with fierce winds that toppled trees, smashed homes and flipped vehicles, authorities said Saturday.

Millions of people live in the storms' paths along the Gulf coast, including Florida, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana, where the fatalities were reported. One man was killed and at least seven people were injured when high winds struck in the Saint Landry Parish area, also flipping some vehicles on a roadway, local authorities said.

A tree toppled as pounding winds hit Caddo Parish partially crushed a mobile home on Friday, killing a 48-year-old man, the sheriff's office said. Large hail along Alabama's coast, some as large as baseballs or softballs, were reported to the National Weather Service.

Heavy rains are also expected with the weather system so flash floods were a possibility, according to forecasters, with the threat expected to wane by late Saturday.