At least two people were killed and an unknown number trapped in their homes after powerful tornadoes struck the southern U.S. state of Alabama on Monday, Jan 23, AFP quoted local emergency officials as saying.

Chief Deputy Randy Christian with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department said that a 16 year-old boy in the town of Clay and an 82 year-old man in the town of Oak Grove, both on the outskirts of Birmingham, were killed by tornadoes that destroyed homes.

Christian also said that emergency personnel were responding to reports of people trapped in their homes in at least three locations around Birmingham.

The state utility company said that some 36,000 customers were without power across Alabama, the bulk in the Birmingham metropolitan area, population one million.

Schools in Jefferson County, where Birmingham is located were closed for the day, officials said.

The Alabama Emergency Management Agency warned of severe storms, tornadoes and high winds across the state.

"First responders in affected areas are working hard," the AEMA said on its Twitter feed. "AEMA will assess damage when search/rescue complete."