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

Churning tornado winds scouring hundreds of miles of tinder-box parched land threatens a near 10-state wildfire inferno. Government forecasters have issued a raft of "critical" to "extreme" warnings ahead of 80mph winds and incendiary lighting strikes.

Communities across the heartland are getting a clearer picture of the destruction left behind by severe weather over the weekend. At least 40 people were killed across seven states in the storms that brought high winds,

A storm system is affecting millions of people in parts of the Midwest and Great Plains, with many facing blizzard conditions.

Tens of millions of people living in the Midwest and central U.S. could be impacted by tornadoes on Wednesday while critical wildfire conditions continue to impact the Southwest, after recent wildfires and a tornado outbreak killed at least 42 people over the weekend.

A late winter storm is bringing intense conditions across the Midwest and Plains. At least eight tornadoes have been reported in Central Illinois. And whiteout conditions contributed to jackknifed tractor trailers in Nebraska.