Tornado damages Oklahoma town as 65 million in US remain under severe weather threat Saturday

Severe storms tear through southeast Oklahoma

Photos shot in McAlester, Oklahoma, show damage caused by a potential tornado on Saturday morning.

McALESTER, Okla. -– The weekend is kicking off much like the work week has ended across much of the nation's heartland: with weather maps and radars dotted with clusters of strong thunderstorms and severe weather alerts.  

Saturday's severe weather threat covers around 65 million people across the southern Plains, Deep South and into the Southeast. Primary dangers include wind gusts of 60+ mph and very large to giant hail, but a few tornadoes are possible.

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Already severe weather pounded Oklahoma early Saturday morning with one confirmed Tornado Warning in the eastern part of the state. 

An apparent tornado left a trail of damage across McAlester, Oklahoma. Photos from the scene showed some buildings with significant damage in the town's center, along with large trees toppled.

There were no initial reports of any injuries. 

As the storms raced east, a gust of 62 mph was clocked in Wilburton, Oklahoma. 

More storm damage was reported in Arkansas. A spotter says 21 trees toppled along a road in Chester due to strong thunderstorm wind gusts. Additional tree falls were observed in Cardiff, Lurton, and Van Buren – which was already recovering from a tornado strike on Friday. 

Storms were set to reintensify later Saturday amid a very warm and unstable air mass. NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has issued a Level 3 out 5 severe weather risk stretching from eastern Oklahoma across the heart of Arkansas and into the South and Tennessee Valley, including Little Rock, Memphis and Atlanta.

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In addition, while thunderstorms are expected to move at a decent pace, the setup may allow some areas to experience repeated rounds of heavy rain, triggering a flash flood threat, the FOX Forecast Center says.

This "training" effect - where storms repeatedly form over the same locations, could lead to totals exceeding 3 inches, and possibly as high as 5 inches by the time the storms finish.

The greatest risk for flash flooding on Saturday appears to generally mimic where the Level 3 severe storm threat looms.

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Relentless severe weather pattern remains Sunday and Monday

The severe weather forecast maps remain busy on Sunday and Monday with the main focus returning to the Southern Plains.

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Level 3 and Level 4 zones for severe weather threat are already in place for much of North Texas and Oklahoma, including the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and Oklahoma City.  

Sunday's storms have a greater threat of even stronger winds with gusts to over 80 mph and hail 3"+ or larger.

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A second severe weather threat hugs much of the Atlantic Seaboard from the Washington, D.C. area south through the Carolinas into Savannah, Georgia. Damaging wind gusts are the primary danger here.

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More severe thunderstorms threaten the Southeast on Monday.