Midwest braced for battering as maps show dangerous storms will last for days from Texas to Arkansas after deadly tornadoes ripped through Iowa killing multiple and flattening entire cities

Midwesterners are preparing for a battering today as dangerous storms are expected to roll through bringing risk of hail, damaging winds and tornados.

Strong storms will strike across central Texas and all the way to upstate New York this week, forecasters have warned. The threat of severe weather is greatest in parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Wind damage and hail, possibly golf ball sized or larger, are the primary concerns, but Weather Channel meteorologists warn a few tornados are expected.

Northern Texas, southeast Oklahoma, northern and central Arkansas, southern Missouri and western Tennessee are most likely to by hit by twisters.

The threat of severe storms comes just one day after multiple people were killed and at least a dozen injured when a tornado tore through a small Iowa town and left behind a swarth of destruction.

Midwesterners are preparing for a battering today as dangerous storms are expected to roll through bringing risk of hail, damaging winds and tornados. Pictured: Radar of the storm path

Strong storms will strike across central Texas and all the way to upstate New York this week, forecasters have warned. The threat of severe weather is greatest in parts of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas

The threat of severe storms comes just one day after multiple people were killed and at least a dozen injured when a tornado tore through Greenfield, Iowa yesterday

Carnage is expected to continue through the Midwest this week as a storm system develops - with over 25 million people currently under severe weather warnings, stretching from Missouri to Wisconsin.

Strong storms will fire up today across the Midwest and western New York and Pennsylvania, but the threat of severe weather will continue tomorrow.

Forecasters are primarily concerned about regions in northern Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, northwest Louisiana, southwest Missouri and southern Kansas.

Large hail and strong winds are expected, but the threat of a few isolated tornadoes has not been ruled out.

The risk of strong winds tomorrow is greatest from Wichita, Kansas to Oklahoma City, Dallas and Little Rock. AccuWeather forecasters have predicted winds could reach speeds of 60 to 70mph.

A corridor from the Arklatex to the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio River valleys will be hit with rounds of heavy rain today and tomorrow. The area will see between 2 to 4 inches of rain over a 48-hour period, putting residents at a risk for flash flooding.

Parts of the Midwest, as well as regions in the south and east, could also see scattered, severe thunderstorms from Friday and throughout the Memorial Day weekend.

A firefighter surveys the damage in Greenfield on Tuesday after a tornado struck and left a wide swath of obliterated homes, crumpled cars and splintered trees

The remains of a tornado-damaged wind turbine touch the ground in a field on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, near Prescott, Iowa

A tornado destroyed much of Greenfield, Iowa on Tuesday, which is located about 55 miles (90 kilometers) southwest of Des Moines, during a day that saw multiple tornadoes, giant hail and heavy rain in several states. 

The storm left a wide swath of obliterated homes, crumpled cars and splintered trees on Tuesday, while outside the small town, massive wind turbines were buckled and twisted to the ground by the howling winds.

After devastating the town of 2,000 residents, the storms moved eastward to pummel parts of Illinois and Wisconsin, knocking out power to more than 130,000 customers in the two states.

Entire neighborhoods were flattened by several deadly twisters that gripped the region on Tuesday evening, with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds placing 15 counties under disaster emergency proclamations. 

Carnage is expected to continue through the Midwest this week as a storm system develops - with over 25 million people currently under severe weather warnings

The risk of strong winds tomorrow is greatest from Wichita, Kansas to Oklahoma City, Dallas and Little Rock. AccuWeather forecasters have predicted winds could reach speeds of 60 to 70mph 

A corridor from the Arklatex to the Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio River valleys will be hit with rounds of heavy rain today and tomorrow. The area will see between 2 to 4 inches of rain over a 48-hour period, putting residents at a risk for flash floods

Parts of the Midwest, as well as regions in the south and east, could also see scattered, severe thunderstorms on Friday 

Iowa Police confirmed there have been multiple fatalities in the deadly weather front. One death occurred in Adams County, Iowa, around 90 miles southwest of Des Moines, when a woman was ejected from a vehicle during the brutal storm. 

Greenfield's hospital was among the buildings that were damaged in the town, which meant that at least a dozen people who were hurt had to be taken to facilities elsewhere, according to Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Alex Dinkla.

'Sadly we can confirm that there have been fatalities,' Dinkla said at a news conference Tuesday night, without specifying how many. 'We're still counting at this time.'

He said he thought they had accounted for all of the town's residents but that searches would continue if anyone was reported missing. 

The Adair County Health System said in a Facebook post Tuesday night that it had set up a triage center at the Greenfield high school and that people who need medical attention should go there.

Shocking drone footage showed the trial of destruction left through Greenfield, Iowa on Tuesday as a powerful tornado ripped apart the small town of 2,000 people 

Shocking images from Greenfield showed widespread damage, with reports indicating that the town has also reported several injuries 

Firefighters walks among tornado-damaged homes on May 21, 2024, in Greenfield, Iowa

Footage showed widespread damage hours after the tornadoes tore through rural Iowa, including entire trees being shredded from their roots. 

The small town of Greenfield, around 40 miles from the death in Adams County, was among the hardest hit, and a tornado that developed around 5pm leveled hundreds of homes and left several people injured, Iowa State Patrol spokesperson Sgt. Alex Dinkla said. 

At a press conference, Dinkla estimated that over a dozen people were hospitalized, but could not offer an exact number. He added that all known residents were accounted for, but searches were still ongoing through the wreckage. 

Images shared to Facebook by a Greenfield resident saw entire homes reduced to rubble and turned into scattered debris, while brick walls were flattened by the force of the twister. 

A local hospital was hit by the fierce tornadoes, forcing staff and patients to evacuate the ransacked buildings and set up field hospitals at nearby high schools. 

Massive wind turbines were also destroyed by the gusts, with at least three turbines destroyed in Adams County, and MidAmerican Energy Company said it owned several more that were destroyed in Adair County. 

While aiding injured residents, the Adair County Memorial Hospital also 'sustained tornado damage', officials said, that forced it to transfer patients to other nearby medical centers. 

Entire homes were flattered when the fatal tornados hit on Tuesday 

A car is damaged by flying debris during the tornados 

Firefighters stand among the remains of homes destroyed by a tornado Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Greenfield, Iowa

In total across the Midwest, over 25 million people were under at least a Level 3 severe thunderstorm warnings on Tuesday evening

Trees were shredded to their roots by the force of the twisters, with meteorologists predicting more tornadoes may be generated that could exceed speeds of 111mph

Numerous wind turbines were ripped apart by the tornadoes, including at least three in Adams County 

Heavy cleanup crews have been spotted across the state, with unaffected counties including Guthrie and Madison reportedly enlisted to help clear damage in Greenfield (pictured) 

Greenfield instated a mandatory curfew from 10pm to 7am as the aftermath is surveyed, however officials said the true extent of the devastation may not be clear until daybreak.  

Heavy cleanup crews have been spotted across the state, with unaffected counties including Guthrie and Madison reportedly enlisted to help clear damage in Greenfield.  

Early reports said multiple tornadoes were also reported in Montgomery County, and Meteorologists warned that the storm system across the Midwest may generate several more catastrophic-strength tornadoes. 

In total across the Midwest, over 25 million people were under at least a Level 3 severe thunderstorm warnings on Tuesday evening. 

It comes after a period of intense storms through the nation's heartland in recent days, including three minor tornadoes registered Monday in Minnesota, Nebraska and Colorado.  

June Handsaker consoles his brother Larry Handsaker after a tornado damaged his house in Nevada, Iowa

A man sorts through the remains of a home damaged by a tornado

A woman and a child walk past damage after a tornado Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Although much of the early damage was contained to rural Iowa, officials warned that several large cities and population centers could find themselves in the storm's path. 

Chicago and Milwaukee are both at risk of being hit by destructive storms, and Des Moines International Airport closed its runways in anticipation of tornadoes potentially landing late Tuesday. 

Multiple regions have also seen flash flooding due to the storms, with heavy rainfall warnings instated across the Midwest.  

Through Tuesday night, the Storm Prediction Center launched a rare 'potentially dangerous situation' tornado watch spanning Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.

The tornado watch is only used when experts believe there is a high chance for multiple, long-lasting tornadoes registering at EF2 or stronger, meaning speeds of at least 111mph. 

Power lines were downed across the state (pictured in Nevada, Iowa) that left tens of thousands without power 

Residents reported widespread damage to homes and businesses, although much of the early destruction struck rural areas of Iowa 

Workers search through the remains of tornado-damaged property on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Greenfield, Iowa

Residents in Greenfield described witnessing the devastation across their town, with Valerie Warrior telling KCCI she was our riding her bike when the storm descended. 

'There's houses down all over the place,' Warrior said, noting that she raced to her basement to wait out the tornado before emerging to find the town covered in debris. 

'Devastating,' she added.  

Stunning images from storm chaser Nahel Belgherze focused on the damage seen in one Greenfield street, as a sleepy suburb was turned into rubble within hours. 

Resident Donnell Griffith said despite the carnage, the small town of roughly 2,000 people will recover from the storms. 

'We're a small community, we're a tough community... we will rebuild this community together,' she said. 

'We're small but we're mighty.'