At least two people were killed and three more injured when a possible tornado ripped through communities near Knoxville, Tennessee, Thursday night causing widespread damage.

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.

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.