(CNN) — The threat of severe tornado-spawning storms continues Sunday from Missouri to Texas, where more twisters, heavy rain and large hail are possible as communities in Nebraska and Iowa survey the destruction the storms have already left behind.
A tornado outbreak in Oklahoma overnight prompted calls to take cover, with the National Weather Service reporting multiple large and extremely dangerous tornadoes on the ground simultaneously across parts of the state.
“A large and extremely dangerous tornado was located south of Sulphur, moving north at 35 mph. First responders need to prepare for additional tornado impacts immediately!!!” the National Weather Service in Norman warned.
The weather service reported two tornadoes crossing Highway 9 between Goldsby and Blanchard at the same time late Saturday and a sighting just east of Tinker Air Force Base. As a tornado headed towards Norman, the University of Oklahoma warned students and staff to “Seek shelter NOW inside the building you are in. Move to lowest floor/interior room.”
Nearly 47 million people are at risk for severe weather Sunday from east Texas northward into the upper Mississippi River Valley.
Cities including Dallas and Austin in Texas, Oklahoma City and Tulsa in Oklahoma, Wichita and Topeka in Kansas and the Kansas City metropolitan area could see strong tornadoes as storms push eastward across the southern Plains.
More than 9 million people are under tornado watches early Sunday, stretching more than 800 miles from Texas to southern Wisconsin. The watch areas are due to expire between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. CT.
Oklahoma’s emergency operations center was activated Saturday, according to a Facebook post from Gov. Kevin Stitt. “Stay weather aware and know where you’ll take shelter if a severe storm threatens your area,” he told residents.
In addition to the tornadoes, storms are bringing heavy rainfall that could exacerbate the life-threatening situation.
Unsettled weather is expected to continue across the midsection of the country into Monday.
“In addition to the severe weather, intense rainfall rates are expected to accompany these thunderstorms at times, leading to a moderate to locally high potential of flash flooding,” the National Weather Service said.
Storms fueled dozens of tornado reports across at least six states Friday and Saturday, with images of flattened homes and debris covering communities seen in communities in Nebraska and Iowa.
Tornadoes wreak havoc in Nebraska and Iowa
Omaha resident Jason Sunday and his family had just been in their new Elkhorn home 30 days when a tornado hit like a “freight train,” he told CNN affiliate KETV .
As the tornado approached Friday, he sought cover in his home.
“We were in the downstairs bathtub, and it was just like the movie said, it was like a freight train,” Sunday told KETV . “And you knew the roof was coming off because that was a loud pop and sucking motion. It was pretty scary.”
The tornado caused heavy damage to the family’s new home, and now they’re faced with having to rebuild.
“We’re thankful to be alive. We’re very thankful,” Sunday said.
Like Sunday, many residents throughout Omaha and Nebraska are similarly grappling with intense damage to their homes after multiple reported tornadoes touched down Friday.
Elkhorn in Omaha, Nebraska, is one of the hardest-hit communities. Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen told reporters Saturday it is a miracle there were no deaths.
“Nebraskans are no strangers to severe weather and, as they have countless times before, Nebraskans will help Nebraskans to rebuild,” the governor said in a post on X.
One of the tornadoes to hit Douglas County had a preliminary rating of EF-3 with winds topping 135 mph, according to Chris Franks with the National Weather Service. The other, which hit Omaha’s airport, appeared to be an EF-2, he added.
On the outskirts of Lincoln, Nebraska, a tornado tore the roofs off homes and crossed part of I-80 as it cut through. Multiple cars of a train derailed near Waverly after it was struck by a tornado, according to a railway spokesperson.
In Iowa’s Pottawattamie County, roughly 120 homes and businesses were damaged, county emergency management officials said.
A large tornado was reported in the small city of Minden in Pottawattamie County, according to the National Weather Service . Footage obtained by CNN shows the devastation of mangled structures and widespread debris.
There were nearly 80 tornado reports Friday alone across at least five states, many of which have been confirmed by the weather service or through footage from storm chasers.
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