At least 12 fatalities have been reported in Missouri, according to the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency. The deaths come as a massive storm system moving across the country unleashed winds that damaged buildings, whipped up deadly dust storms and fanned more than 100 wildfires.

The National Weather Service predicted extreme weather across a vast swath of the country that is home to more than 100 million people.

The most dangerous threat was in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi, where intense long-duration tornadoes were striking on Saturday, forecasters said.

Large and destructive tornadoes are carving paths of destruction across the South for the second day in a row.

Hundreds of homes were destroyed as wildfires swept across Oklahoma, prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders.