At least 8 killed from destructive tornadoes as severe weather outbreak devastates America's Heartland

03:57

Heartland braces for continued severe weather amid confirmed tornado warnings

A multi-day severe weather outbreak spanning 1,500 miles has ripped through the Heartland, killing at least six people on Friday in Michigan and Oklahoma. FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray is in Oklahoma as storms are continuing to fire, threatening millions today.

FOLLOW LIVE UPDATES ON THE ONGOING DEADLY SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK BY CLICKING HERE. 

A severe weather outbreak is devastating parts of the Plains and Midwest, where at least 8 were killed on Thursday and Friday evenings amid a multi-day outbreak of damaging tornadoes and "monster" hail.

The massive severe weather threat slammed more than 60 million people, spanning more than 1,500 miles from Texas to Michigan.

Four of those fatalities were reported in two counties in southwestern Michigan, where powerful tornadoes tore through Union City.

Devastating tornado damage in Union City, Michigan

(517Drone Video and Photography)

In Oklahoma on Friday, the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed two deaths after severe storms moved through central parts of the state.

These deadly storms came just hours after a mother and daughter were killed during severe weather in Major County, Oklahoma on Thursday night.

SEVERE STORMS TO REIGNITE THREATS OF DAMAGING HAIL, WIND, POSSIBLE TORNADOES ACROSS CENTRAL PLAINS NEXT WEEK

Sheriff Frederick A. Blankenship is urging residents to avoid the affected areas to allow emergency personnel to safely conduct response and recovery operations from the area that was battered by severe weather today.This comes on the heels of deadly severe storms that rumbled through the Texas Panhandle and western Oklahoma Thursday. 

One additional death has been reported in Cass County after a tornado ripped through the southwestern Michigan county, officials announced in a press release.

Cass County Emergency Management reports that multiple large structures — including homes and pole barns — have sustained significant damage, with some suffering major structural impacts and others completely destroyed

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said Friday that a mother and daughter were killed in Major County during Thursday night's storms. The emergency management department in Fairview, Oklahoma, shared video on social media of a large possible tornado just west of the city late Thursday. 

The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Norman confirmed at least three tornadoes by midday Friday, with surveys still ongoing.

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FOX Weather Meteorologist Ari Sarsalari tracked a spotter-confirmed tornado Thursday night outside of Quail, Texas.

WHAT IS A SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM?

00:20

Severe weather brings possible tornadoes to the South

Lightning lit up the night sky over Fairview, Oklahoma on Thursday, revealing a possible tornado. Severe weather has been ripping through parts of the South throughout the week, with the threat expected to strengthen on Friday.

On Friday, NOAA's Storm Prediction Center issued a Level 3 out of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms across parts of Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa.

According to the FOX Forecast Center, the first round of storms is expected to develop during the mid-to-late afternoon as an area of low pressure close to the surface moves across Kansas and the Missouri Valley.

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 The atmosphere will be able to support supercell thunderstorms capable of generating hail larger than 3 inches in diameter, and tornadoes. 

Strong tornadoes are possible from Kansas City to Wichita to Oklahoma City during the early evening hours Friday.

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Overnight, as a cold front pushes farther east-southeast, damaging wind gusts, hail and tornadoes will be possible from Illinois southward through Oklahoma and northeastern Texas.