When tornado watches were posted for millions of people from Arkansas to Iowa, a tornado made landfall in metro Little Rock on Friday.
The National Weather Service in North Little Rock, Arkansas, relocated to a tornado shelter as a result of the tornado emergency in the Little Rock region.
Up until 8 p.m., 15 million people are under a tornado watch that stretches from southern Arkansas to northern Iowa. Northeast Texas and sections of the CDT
The Storm Prediction Center has issued a tornado watch for Northern Illinois, Northwest Indiana, Southern Wisconsin, and Lake Michigan until 10 p.m. CDT.
Storms that are likely to form this afternoon and evening are predicted to bring with them a few strong tornadoes, severe wind gusts of up to 70 mph, and golf-ball-sized hail.
Chicago, Madison, Wisconsin; Milwaukee; and Rockford, Illinois are among the cities under observation. Additionally, a tornado warning is in place until 3 p.m. CDT for Peoria, Illinois, where a tornado has been confirmed to be moving towards the city.
According to the centre, "environmental conditions are rapidly improving to support the likelihood for several strong to potentially violent and long-track tornadoes."
According to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center, a rare "high risk" Level 5 out of 5 notice has been issued for regions of the Midwest and Mid-South, affecting over 3 million people.
Parts of southeast Iowa, northwest Illinois, and northeastern Missouri are high-risk regions, as are towns like Davenport, Iowa, and Iowa City.
A section of eastern Arkansas, northern Mississippi, and southwestern Tennessee are included in the second region, which is further south. The high risk area includes Memphis, Tennessee.