Eleven storm-related fatalities were reported in the Missouri counties of Ozark, Butler, Wayne and Jefferson, the state highway patrol said. Three people were confirmed dead in Independence County, Arkansas, the state's emergency management division said. Four were reported dead in Texas, officials said Saturday.

About 47 million people faced an enhanced to moderate severe storm threat from Madison, Wisconsin, to Birmingham, Alabama.

The most fatalities as of Saturday morning were in Missouri, authorities said, with an estimated 11 people killed.

At least 12 fatalities have been reported in Missouri, according to the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency. The deaths come as a massive storm system moving across the country unleashed winds that damaged buildings, whipped up deadly dust storms and fanned more than 100 wildfires.

Numerous significant tornadoes are expected Saturday afternoon and evening, with the highest risk across several states in the Deep South, forecasters say.