Beshear announced during the briefing that the death toll has remained at 19, and that he hoped that number doesn't increase.

An apparent powerful tornado tore through Russell, Pulaski and Laurel County in Kentucky late Friday night, leaving a trail of destruction and killing several.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said 19 people in the state had died from the storms, many in Laurel County in the southern part of the state. The storm system also killed seven people in Missouri and two in Virginia when it rolled through the region, authorities said.

Kentucky was hardest hit in the storm system that began Friday. A devastating tornado damaged hundreds of homes, tossed vehicles and left many people homeless. At least 18 people were killed in the state.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered his opening statement at the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations despite being interrupted multiple times by protesters. Rubio alluded to changes at the department and insisted the U.S. isn't backing away from its foreign policies and humanitarian efforts around the world.

The death toll from this weekend's tornadoes has risen to at least 19 in Kentucky, with the addition of one woman from Russell County. And state officials warn the number could still rise.

According to Governor Beshear, the death toll from recent storms has now risen to 19 with the addition of an adult woman from Russell County.

An extreme weather outbreak on May 16 spawned deadly tornadoes and storms. At least 23 were killed in Kentucky, 7 in Missouri and 2 in Virginia.

Storm systems sweeping across parts of the Midwest and South have left at least 21 dead, many of them in Kentucky, with the death toll likely to rise.

Recovery operations are underway, and first responders are continuing their heroic efforts to search for survivors among the countless piles of destroyed homes and businesses in Kentucky and Missouri,