Damage from severe storms and tornadoes in several towns in Missouri, Illinois and Mississippi. - Winds sparked more than 100 wildfires in the central U.S.; homes and structures

Violent tornadoes and high winds decimated homes, wiped out schools and toppled semitractor-trailers as a monster storm that killed at least 32 people ripped its way across the central and southern U.

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