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

A severe weather system spawned intense, long-duration tornadoes that struck parts of Arkansas, Mississippi and Missouri, leaving some communities in tatters.

Unusually vicious and damaging weather across multiple US states spawned violent tornadoes, blinding dust storms and fast-moving wildfires this weekend, leaving at least 37 people dead.

Over the past 24 hours, more than 40 reported tornadoes have swept across eight states in the Midwest and South -- and the dangerous severe weather threat continues. The eight states with reported tornadoes in the past day are Alabama, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Illinois, Indiana and Tennessee.