At least 17 people are reported to have died in powerful storms across the United States.
Authorities in Missouri say 11 people died there, with another three deaths reported in Arkansas, and three others in car crashes amid dust storms in Texas on Friday.
Around 138 million people are at risk of severe weather in central and southern US states.
Tornado warnings are in place in parts of Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Indiana, and Kentucky.
In Missouri, where a state of emergency was declared on Friday, they are predicted to reach EF2 on the tornado strength scale, which requires wind speeds of between 113mph and 157mph.
Hail the size of baseballs were reported in Christian County, the US weather service said.
Snow of up to six inches is expected in western Minnesota and far eastern South Dakota, the National Weather Service said.
Image: The remnants of a destroyed house in Florissant, Missouri. Pic: Reuters
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Writing on X, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said two people died in Bakersfield, Ozark County, and several others were injured.
A man died after his mobile home was hit by heavy storms in Butler County, on Missouri’s Arkansas border, authorities told Sky’s US partner network NBC News.
Butler County coroner Jim Akers said the man and his wife were sleeping when the tornado came. Rescuers were able to pull the woman from the debris – but could not save the man.
“It was unrecognizable to be a home. Just a debris field,” he said, describing the scene. “The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls.”
County authorities added that the number of dead there could rise, with rescue operations ongoing.
Large vehicles were also pictured overturned across the state.
Image: Debris covers the road amid storms in Webster County, Missouri. Pic: AP 
Image: Debris flies in Webster County, Missouri. Pic: AP 
Image: A tornado destroyed house in Florissant, Missouri. Pic: Reuters
Lorries fall over in dust storms
In the Texas city of Amarillo, three people were killed in car crashes caused by a dust storm on Friday, according to the state’s public safety department.
One of the deaths happened after three lorries collided with four other vehicles in Palmer County, Bovina’s fire chief Cesar Marquez said. Another occurred after a pile up of an estimated 38 cars.
“It’s the worst I’ve ever seen,” public safety department sergeant Cindy Barkley said, calling the near-zero visibility a nightmare. “We couldn’t tell that they were all together until the dust kind of settled.”
Image: The scene of one of the fatal crashes in Austin, Texas on Friday. Pic: AP 
Image: The crash scene in Austin, Texas. Pic: AP
Wind speeds in northern Texas were as high as 62mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Dramatic videos from across the state – and Oklahoma – show huge trucks falling on their side with the strength of the dust storm.
Three of the deaths happened in Independence County, Arkansas overnight, with a further 29 people injured across eight different counties, authorities said.
The extreme weather has destroyed buildings, compromised power supplies, and caused at least 100 wildfires in multiple states.
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Fires across the Southern Plains are likely to spread rapidly amid warm weather and strong winds, with evacuations ordered for some communities in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and New Mexico on Friday.
More than 400,000 households are without power in midwestern and southern states, according to the monitoring website PowerOutage.us.
Appealing to residents after implementing emergency measures, Missouri governor Mike Kehoe said on Friday: “I urge all Missourians to stay alert, monitor weather forecasts, and follow official warnings.”
