The Latest: NFL’s Ware pays for grave markers after tornado

The Latest on a deadly tornado outbreak that killed 23 in Lee County, Alabama (all times local):

7:45 p.m.

Nine-time NFL Pro Bowler DeMarcus Ware has made a $10,000 donation toward the funeral costs of the 23 victims of Sunday’s tornado that churned for about 70 miles (112 kilometers) from eastern Alabama into Georgia.

WSFA-TV reports Alabama’s Lee County Coroner Bill Harris says the former Dallas Cowboys defensive end and Lee County native has committed the donation to be used for the costs of grave markers. Harris says the money will be deposited with the East Alabama Medical Center Foundation and will be distributed for that purpose.

Ware’s donation comes a day after the Poarch Band of Creek Indians donated $184,000 to assist in the burial of the victims.

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8:45 a.m.

Government surveys have confirmed at least 38 tornadoes touched down across the Southeast in a deadly weekend outbreak.

National Weather Service teams surveying storm damage say tornadoes struck Sunday in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina.

The largest was a powerful EF4 tornado with 170 mph (274 kph) winds. That twister has been blamed for killing 23 people in a rural area of Lee County, Alabama, as it churned for about 70 miles (112 kilometers) from eastern Alabama into Georgia.

Forecasters say there’s a chance of more severe storms and tornadoes this weekend. The national Storm Prediction Center says parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee will be at heightened risk of severe weather Saturday.

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7:20 a.m.

Forecasters are upgrading the likelihood that severe storms and strong tornadoes could strike parts of the South less than a week after a twister killed more than 20 people in Alabama.

The national Storm Prediction Center on Friday said a region that includes parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee will be at heightened risk of severe weather Saturday – even more so than surrounding states, which are also at risk. The area includes 2.5 million people, including the Memphis, Tennessee metropolitan area.

The center’s Bill Bunting says the storms will be fast-moving, racing to the northeast at 50 to 60 mph (80 to 97 kph).

President Donald Trump planned a Friday visit to Lee County, Alabama, where Sunday’s tornado caused the most damage and where 23 people were killed.