Unusually vicious and damaging weather across multiple US states has spawned violent tornadoes, blinding dust storms and fast-moving wildfires over the weekend, leaving at least 39 people dead.

In the latest tally of the destruction, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said Sunday evening that more than 400 homes were damaged as wildfires swept across the state Friday. At least 74 homes in and around Stillwater were destroyed by wildfires, Mayor Will Joyce said Sunday night on Facebook.

The emergency management department also said the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed four fatalities related to the fires or high winds.

The National Weather Service said weekend tornado watches had mostly expired, but dangerous winds were still possible in the Carolinas, east Georgia and northern Florida through Sunday.

Hailey Hart and her fiancé Steve Romero hunkered down with their three huskies inside their 1994 Toyota Celica as a tornado ripped apart their home Saturday in Tylertown, Mississippi.

Romero said he prayed out loud and hugged Hart as the car rolled onto its side, windows shattering, before it landed on its wheels again. After the twister passed, they could hear people nearby screaming for help.

“It was a bad dream come true,” Romero said.

Next door, Hart’s grandparents crawled out from the rubble of their destroyed house after they sought shelter in a bathroom as falling trees collapsed the roof.

“Everything was coming down on us,” said Donna Blansett, Hart’s grandmother. “All I could do was pray to God to save us.”

They escaped with just a few scratches and aches. Family members, friends and volunteers spent Sunday removing debris and salvaging anything they could find — some damp clothes, a photo album and a few toiletries.

“I’m so happy you’re alive,” Hart said through tears, as she embraced her grandmother on Sunday.

Residents look for personal belongings in the damage after a tornado in Alabama. – AP

The National Weather Service said tornado watches had mostly expired, but dangerous winds were still possible in the Carolinas, east Georgia and northern Florida through Sunday evening.

Forecasters warned of dangerous conditions that turned deadly

The dynamic storm that began Friday earned an unusual “high risk” designation from weather forecasters. Still, experts said it’s not unusual to see such weather extremes in March.

President Donald Trump said in a post on his social media network that his administration is ready to assist affected communities.

“Please join Melania and me in praying for everyone impacted by these terrible storms!” he posted Sunday.

At least three people, including an 82-year-old woman, were killed in central Alabama when multiple tornados swept across the state.

In Troy, Alabama, parks officials said the recreation centre where many residents had taken refuge had to be closed due to damage from overnight storms. No one was injured.

“We are thankful the Lord provided protection over our community, and over 200 guests at the Recreation Center storm shelter on Saturday night," the parks department said in a statement.

A massive pileup involving more than 70 vehicles on Kansas highway. – Reuters

Fatalities from twisters in battered Missouri reach 12

Missouri resident Dakota Henderson said he and others rescuing trapped neighbours found five bodies scattered in rubble Friday night outside what remained of his aunt’s house in hard-hit Wayne County. Scattered twisters killed at least a dozen people in the state, authorities said.

“It’s really disturbing for what happened to the people, the casualties last night," Henderson said Saturday, not far from the splintered home he said they rescued his aunt through a window of the only room left standing.

Coroner Jim Akers of Butler County, Missouri, described the home where one man was killed as “just a debris field”.

“The floor was upside down,” he said. “We were walking on walls.”

Missouri resident says he found five dead bodies after monster storm hit the state. – AP

Six deaths in Mississippi, three die in Arkansas

In Mississippi, Governor Tate Reeves announced that six people died and more than 200 were displaced after tornadoes sowed devastation across three counties. And in the northern part of the state, roads were inundated and some people were stranded by flood waters.

One of the deaths occurred in Covington County, where Seminary resident Traci Ladner said she watched a tornado knock down trees and power lines and destroy a house Saturday as she drove home from Ward’s Restaurant.

The twister touched down briefly, travelled over Highway 49 and then went back up before making another quick descent, she said.

“I was crying. My legs were shaking. It was pretty scary,” she said.

Officials in Arkansas said three people died in Independence County and 29 others were injured across eight counties as storms passed through the state overnight.

“We have teams out surveying the damage from last night’s tornadoes and have first responders on the ground to assist,” Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.

She and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp declared states of emergency in their respective states.

Debris covers the road after a severe storm passed the area north of Seymour, Missouri. – AP

Wildfires and dust storms drive up the death toll

Wind-driven wildfires caused extensive damage in Texas and Oklahoma and officials warned Sunday that parts of both states would again face an increased risk of fire danger in the coming week.

More than 130 fires were reported across Oklahoma and nearly 300 homes were damaged or destroyed, Governor Kevin Stitt said.

“Nobody has enough resources to fight fires when the wind is blowing 70mph,” said Terry Essary, the fire chief of Stillwater, Oklahoma. “It’s an insurmountable task.”

Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokesperson Keli Cain said Sunday that two people were killed as a result of the wildfires and weather.

Meanwhile, dust storms spurred by high winds claimed almost a dozen lives on Friday. Eight people died in a Kansas highway pileup involving at least 50 vehicles, according to the state highway patrol. 

Tim Scott, right, gets a hug from friend Jorden Harris outside Scott's home, which he was inside when it was destroyed during a severe storm. – AP

Authorities said three people were killed in car crashes during a dust storm in Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle.

The deaths came after a massive storm system moving across the country unleashed winds that triggered deadly dust storms and fanned more than 100 wildfires.

Winds gusting up to 80mph (130km/h) were predicted from the Canadian border to Texas, threatening blizzard conditions in colder northern areas and wildfire risk in warmer, drier areas to the south.

The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of far western Minnesota and far eastern South Dakota starting early Saturday. Snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15cm) were expected, with up to a foot (30cm) possible.

Winds gusting to 60 mph (97km/h) were expected to cause whiteout conditions.

A wildfire roars through properties in Oklahoma. – Reuters

Evacuations were ordered in some Oklahoma communities as more than 130 fires were reported across the state.

Nearly 300 homes have been damaged or destroyed in Oklahoma due to fire. Governor Kevin Stitt said some 266 square miles (689 square kilometres) had burned so far in his state.

The State Patrol said winds were so strong that they toppled several tractor-trailers.

“This is terrible out here,” said Charles Daniel, a truck driver hauling a 48-foot (14.6-meter) trailer along Interstate 40 in western Oklahoma.

“There’s a lot of sand and dirt in the air. I’m not pushing it over 55mph. I’m scared it will blow over if I do.”

Experts say it's not unusual to see such weather extremes in March.

Mark Nelson waits with his tractor-trailer after it overturned during high winds and a possible tornado on Interstate 44 in Missouri. – AP

The Storm Prediction Center said fast-moving storms could spawn twisters and hail as large as baseballs, but the greatest threat would come from straight-line winds near or exceeding hurricane force, with gusts of 100mph (160km/h) possible.

Significant tornadoes continued to hit on Saturday. The regions at highest risk stretch from eastern Louisiana and Mississippi through Alabama, western Georgia and the Florida panhandle, the centre said.

Bailey Dillon, 24, and her fiance, Caleb Barnes, watched a massive tornado from their front porch in Tylertown, Mississippi, about half a mile (800m) away as it struck an area near Paradise Ranch RV Park.

They drove over afterward to see if anyone needed help and recorded a video depicting snapped trees, levelled buildings and overturned vehicles.

“The amount of damage was catastrophic,” Dillon said.

“It was a large amount of cabins, RVs, campers that were just flipped over – everything was destroyed.”

Paradise Ranch reported that all its staff and guests were safe and accounted for, but Dillon said the damage extended beyond the ranch itself.

“Homes and everything were destroyed all around it,” she said.

“Schools and buildings are just completely gone.”

Father and son watch from the car as a tornado passes by. – AP

Tad Peters and his dad, Richard Peters, had pulled over to fuel up their pickup truck in Rolla, Missouri, on Friday night when they heard tornado sirens and saw other motorists flee the interstate to park.

“Whoa, is this coming? Oh, it’s here. It’s here,” Tad Peters can be heard saying on a video. “Look at all that debris. Ohhh my … we are in a torn ...”

His father then rolled up the truck window. 

Wildfires elsewhere in the Southern Plains threatened to spread rapidly amid warm, dry weather and strong winds in Texas, Kansas, Missouri and New Mexico.

A blaze in Roberts County, Texas, northeast of Amarillo, quickly blew up from less than a square mile (about 2 square kilometres) to an estimated 32.8 square miles (85 square kilometres), the Texas A&M University Forest Service said. Crews stopped its advance by Friday evening.

About 60 miles (90km) to the south, another fire grew to about 3.9 square miles (10 square kilometres) before its advance was halted in the afternoon.

High winds also knocked out power to more than 200,000 homes and businesses in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, according the website poweroutage.us.

People work through the debris of the Cave City Auto Parts store after the storm in Arkansas. – AP