The National Weather Service has issued a tornado emergency for Little Rock, Arkansas.
Approximately 350,000 people are in the path of a "confirmed large and destructive tornado" spotted Friday afternoon. Meteorologists are predicting that the tornado could reach an F2 rating.
No injuries have been reported from the tornado.
Significant damage has been reported around the Little Rock metro area, including overturned trees in major roadways, which have caused crashes, according to local news outlet KARK. Traffic has been halted in both directions on Interstate 430 due to a crash.
18-wheeler trucks have reportedly been blown over by high winds, and members of the Little Rock National Weather Service were forced to take shelter while monitoring the storm, according to 4029TV.
Drone footage provided by WeatherNation showed the extent of the destruction on Friday. Homes in the path of the twister were reduced to rubble for blocks.
Another video, captured by a resident, captured the massive funnel cloud speeding across the Little Rock metro area.
Other residents shared photos of toppled trees that blocked roadways and crushed the roofs of houses.
Nearly 54,000 customers lost power on Friday afternoon in Pulaski County, where Little Rock is located. It’s unclear how long it will take to restore power.
Residents in the area are being advised to seek shelter immediately.
The tornado is part of a larger storm system covering 15 states in the midwest and the US south. Meteorologists have likened the conditions to those that unleashed powerful tornados last week that killed 21 people in Mississippi, according to the Associated Press.
More than 85 million people were under severe weather warnings on Friday, according to the National Weather Service. Ping-pong ball sized hail was reported in Arkansas, Iowa, and Missouri.
The storms are expected to be the most severe along a stretch of the Mississippi River from Wisconsin down to Mississippi. High risk, severe weather advisories have been issued in the Memphis, Davenport, and Quiny areas.
The Chicago area is also under a rare significantly severe weather risk, with meteorologists predicting thunderstorms, hail, high winds, and tornados, according to CBS 4. Blizzard conditions caused by high winds and heavy snow are forecasted for the Dakotas as far east as Michigan, according to USA Today.
