Tornado: ‘Significant’ injuries reported in Little Rock, outbreak underway in South, Midwest

A major tornado outbreak is underway in the South and Midwest as more than 28 million people are monitored by tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service.

A confirmed, “catastrophic” tornado has already passed through the Little Rock, Arkansas metropolitan area, according to the NWS.

A tornado emergency had been issued for the Little Rock, Arkansas, subway Friday afternoon due to the threat of a destructive tornado and quarter-size hail.

Little Rock Fire Department Captain Jacob Lear-Sadowsky told ABC News there was a “significant” number of injuries from the storm, but didn’t have a number at the time.

A hospital told ABC News it was on standby for a possible “influx of patients” but had not yet admitted a number of patients.

The damage is concentrated in West Little Rock, where “several buildings,” both commercial and residential, were destroyed, Lear-Sadowsky said. Power lines and trees were also downed and cars were overturned due to the storm.

The City of Little Rock tweeted that residents should do so “stay in their homes” so that the emergency services can get to work.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said there was “significant damage” in central Arkansas as a result of the storm.

“Arkansans must continue to remain weather aware as storms continue to sweep through,” she said tweeted.

Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. called He has asked the governor for National Guard assistance for the tornado emergency.

The tornado emergency comes as rare, high-risk tornado warnings were issued Friday for parts of six states — Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee — as a severe storm puts millions in the heartland at risk of severe weather. including potentially violent, long-track tornadoes.

Areas threatened by powerful tornadoes include St. Louis; Davenport, Iowa; Peoria, IL; Paducah, Kentucky; Memphis, Tennessee; Jonesboro, Arkansas; and Tupelo, Mississippi.

Powerful, long-tracked tornadoes could develop from Iowa to Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi Friday night.

A “confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado” was located around 5:13 p.m. local time near Earle, Arkansas, west of Memphis, and was moving east at 50 mph, the NWS said.

Ames, Iowa, pelted by great hail

Among the areas at risk from tornadoes is an area hit by deadly storms over the past weekend. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden visited one of those places Friday — Rolling Fork, Mississippi.

“Jill and I are here to show our support,” Biden said Friday during a speech in the city amid the destruction. “I know there is a lot of pain and it’s hard to believe that in a moment like this this community will be rebuilt and rebuilt better than before.”

Almost two dozen people died in the storms.

In addition to tornadoes, destructive winds and massive hail are also possible with Friday’s storms. The expanse of this storm extends from Lufkin, Texas, to Milwaukee and east to Nashville, Tennessee and Cincinnati.

The storm system is moving northeast on Saturday, with severe weather possible for Pennsylvania, upstate New York and even northern New Jersey. Noxious winds will be the biggest threat to the Northeast.

This storm has a wintry portion with snowstorm warnings for South Dakota and Minnesota where more than a half foot of snow and 45 mph wind gusts are possible. Whiteout conditions are expected.

A winter storm warning extends from Nebraska to Minneapolis and into Wisconsin and Michigan, where more than a foot of snow is possible.

ABC News’ Jianna Cousin, Matt Foster, and Robinson Perez contributed to this report.