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

A dynamic storm that prompted foreboding predictions of dangerous weekend weather spawned tornadoes, dust storms and wildfires that killed at least 39 people and destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses.

The deadly storm system arrived on the East Coast on Sunday after thunderstorms and tornadoes swept through the South and Midwest.

A huge storm system crossing the U.S. threatens to unleash tornadoes Friday in the Mississippi Valley, blizzards in the northern Plains and dry, gusty conditions in Texas and Oklahoma that pose a high risk of wildfires.

Violent tornadoes and high winds have decimated homes, wiped out schools and toppled semitractor-trailers as a monster storm that killed at least 32 people ripped its way across the central and southern U.

The weather cut a swathe of destruction across an area of the country that is home to more than 100 million people.