The year’s first deadly US tornado struck after dark Thursday, killing two people in a small East Tennessee community as the first of five back-to-back, jet stream-driven winter storms pummeled the eastern United States.

The tornadoes, which also injured three people and caused widespread damage, reached wind speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour.

A tornado swept through a swath of Tennessee, killing a mother and daughter and injuring at least three other people as it caused severe property damage, officials said.