( CNN ) -- As severe weather moved eastward , the devastation mounted Thursday in parts of the Midwest where hundreds mourned the deaths of loved ones and clung to hopes they 'd be found alive following a wave of powerful tornadoes . Severe thunderstorm warnings and watches extended from South Carolina north along the Appalachian mountains to West Virginia on Thursday evening . Tornado watches that had been issued the same night for parts of Pennysylvania , New York and Vermont , meanwhile came and went without any signs of significant damage . Two people died Thursday evening in Atlanta , at the southern edge of the storm system , after trees fell on two vehicles , said city police spokeswoman Kim Jones . There were also numerous reports of wires and trees down throughout the city , though no indication of any tornado like those that ripped through the central United States earlier this week . The worst-hit community is Joplin , Missouri . The twister that hit that city Sunday night was the single deadliest in the United States since modern record-keeping began 61 years ago . Newton County Coroner Mark Bridges told CNN on Thursday night that the death toll from the EF5 twister -- which had winds topping 200 mph -- had risen to 126 people . Those bodies were being stored in temporary refrigeration units , while they are identified and eventually released to their relatives . After flying in $ 2 million worth of equipment , a federal government team will head the effort to positively identify the tornado victims , according to Bridges . After the first case resulted in a false identification , authorities are now not allowing individuals in because many bodies are in such bad condition that they 're difficult to recognize , the coroner said . Instead , they are relying on information like dental records , fingerprints , DNA and other such data . `` A lot have blood on their face , they do n't look like they used to look , '' Bridges said of the victims . As criticism grew that authorities were n't moving fast enough , Missouri Gov . Jay Nixon said he asked the state 's Department of Public Safety to take over the process of identifying victims on Wednesday . Andrea Spillars , the department 's deputy director , led the team of 60 people who worked through the night and released a list Thursday -- published online at dps.mo.gov -- of 232 people who have been reported missing since Sunday night . The governor said that he expected the pace of the body-identification and release process to pick up significantly in the coming days . `` When I see the local folks strained beyond their limits , we move in , '' Nixon told CNN on Thursday , adding that `` now is not the time to point fingers . '' `` The mourning here is not over ( but ) we 're going to do everything we can . '' Roughly 8,000 structures in Joplin suffered damage , city manager Mark Rohr said , citing a Federal Emergency Management Agency report . The southwest Missouri city feared another blow late Tuesday as storms moved through the area , but there were no reported touchdowns then . But the same storm system late Tuesday and early Wednesday left 10 people dead in Oklahoma , four in Arkansas and two in Kansas , authorities said . The numbers have fluctuated as officials scramble to deal with the disaster . The most severe damage from that round of severe weather appeared to be in central Oklahoma 's Canadian County , which includes a sliver of of Oklahoma City . At least seven people were killed and more than 100 were injured , according to the sheriff 's department and the county 's emergency management office . Others were missing , authorities said . Cole Hamil , a 15-month-old boy , was among those killed . And on Thursday , authorities found the body of his 3-year-old brother , Ryan , floating in a lake . Their 5-year-old sister Cathleen survived , as did their mother Catherine Hamil , who is pregnant . `` I lost both of my boys , '' said a tearful Hank Hamil , the brothers ' father , on Thursday . `` Ryan was my little buddy . Cole was , too . I loved them both , '' said Hank Hamil , who was out of town when the storms struck . It has been a historic tornado season in the United States . More than 500 people have been killed , according to figures from the National Weather Service and local authorities . That makes 2011 the deadliest season since 1953 , when 519 people were killed in twisters . Oklahoma Gov . Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency Wednesday in 68 Oklahoma counties hit by the tornadoes and other severe weather . Only nine counties in the state were not included in the declaration . `` Our hearts go out to those who lost their loved ones in the storms last night , and our thoughts and prayers continue to be with all the families and communities that have been affected , '' Craig Fugate , head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency , said in a statement . CNN 's Marlena Baldacci , Vivian Kuo , Randi Kaye and Leslie Tripp contributed to this report .
NEW : Tornado watches come and go , without incident , in the Northeast . Two people die after trees fall on vehicles during storm in Atlanta , police say . The death toll in Joplin , Missouri , rises to 126 people , the coroner says . The governor says he expects the pace of body-identification will now pick up .