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

The Arkansas Division of Emergency Management said 16 counties had reported damage from the storms on March 14.

Unusually vicious and damaging weather across multiple U.S. states spawned violent tornadoes, blinding dust storms and fast-moving wildfires over the weekend, leaving at least 39 people dead. In the latest tally of the destruction,

Millions of Americans across the country are on alert for a severe weather outbreak as violent, long-track tornadoes with damaging winds of up to 80 mph and large hail are expected across the Midwest and South with the cross-country storm moving east.