Communities across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana were devastated by the deadliest and longest-running tornado ever recorded a century ago. Here's what happened.

A deadly tornado outbreak ripped through Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas and Mississippi overnight Friday, leaving destruction, power outages and tragic loss in its wake.

"Get to the sturdiest structure you have access to and remain in place until the storms pass," the NWS told residents in Alabama on Saturday night, when multiple tornado warnings were issued. At least 250,

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

The heaviest fatalities so far were in Missouri, which was lashed by twisters overnight The threat of violent tornadoes in parts of the US proved deadly as well as destructive as whipping winds moved east into the Mississippi Valley and Deep South on Saturday,

National Weather Service issued multiple tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings early Saturday morning for areas in Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana and Texas.