A severe weather outbreak has brought violent, long-track tornadoes to parts of the South, with damaging winds of up to 80 mph and large hail.

Dozens of warnings are being issued in rapid-fire succession Saturday afternoon in Mississippi and soon Alabama. Several storms are producing what appear to be large, long-lived tornadoes. Forecasters at the National Weather Service are pleading with residents to stay aware of the weather and heed the warnings today;

Three people were killed in Missouri as a series of tornadoes hit the U.S. Midwest and southeast overnight, raking a path of destruction that was still being assessed early on Saturday, police said.