A deadly tornado outbreak ripped through Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas and Mississippi overnight Friday, leaving destruction, power outages and tragic loss in its wake.

The death toll increased overnight from a powerful storm system that caused havoc in the middle of the country, triggering wind-driven wildfires and blinding dust storms in the Plains before spawning multiple destructive tornadoes in states like Missouri and Mississippi.

Numerous significant tornadoes are expected Saturday afternoon and evening, with the highest risk across several states in the Deep South, forecasters say.

Violent tornadoes ripped through parts of the U.S., wiping out schools and toppling semitractor-trailers in several states.

At least 26 tornadoes were reported but not confirmed to have touched down late on Friday night and early on Saturday as a low pressure system drove powerful thunderstorms across parts of Arkansas, Illinois,