Storms tear through Arkansas, Louisiana, killing 1, thousands without power in Texas

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Possible tornado touchdown near Ashdown, AR....1 dead.

A multi-day severe weather outbreak began with tragic news Monday morning, as a tornado was reported in southwestern Arkansas that killed one person.

The Weather Channel has confirmed through the Little River County, Arkansas, Sheriff's Department that the fatality occurred in an area between the towns of Ashdown and Foreman near the borders of Texas and Oklahoma. The EF2 tornado was confirmed by a survey crew from the National Weather Service later Monday.

This is just the start of what is expected to be a long 48 hours for Dixie Alley, as severe weather is predicted to move through the Deep South, spawning some tornadoes along the way. Damaging winds, frequent lightning and hail could also come with these storms as they push east.

According to the Storm Prediction Center, nearly 30 million people are under the threat of severe weather Monday, with the greatest risk lying in an area near the Mississippi River from Mississippi to southern Illinois.

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Here's a state-by-state rundown of this severe weather outbreak's effects.

Arkansas

One person is dead and at least four others were sent to a nearby hospital in Little River County when a tornado swept through the county in southwestern Arkansas. The National Weather Service surveyed the damage and found it to be consistent with an EF2 tornado Monday afternoon.

The tornado was in progress at about 5 a.m. local time Monday morning, damaging at least two homes and destroying one, according to the Little River County Sheriff's Office. The death, an adult male, occurred in the house that was destroyed, and the storm left a path of damage some 15 miles long, the office also said.

Arkansas Office of Emergency Management spokesman Rick Fahr told The Weather Channel at least two house fires in northwestern Arkansas were believed to be started by lightning Monday morning as the storms rolled through.

"These fires are in the extreme northwest parts of the state, at least 150 miles from where the possible tornado was," said Fahr.

Severe weather pushed through the Natural State Monday, and conditions remained dangerous while the line of storms moved east.

"The thing we can expect is 60- to 70-mph winds, a lot of lightning and heavy rain as well," said Mike Bettes, meteorologist for The Weather Channel, reporting live Monday from North Little Rock. "Be ready - make sure that your cellphone is charged up, make sure you have some flashlights ready to go and be prepared to go hours, if not maybe a day or two, without power."

The town of Osceola reported damage from a possible tornado later Monday afternoon, though there were no immediate reports of injuries. Another tornado was confirmed by the NWS in an area just north of England, leaving damage to structures - including a few that were damaged by an Oct. 2 twister, they said.

More than 6,000 people were without power early Monday afternoon across the state, according to KTHV.com.

Louisiana

Parts of Monroe reported serious damage from a storm that blew through the town in northern Louisiana Monday afternoon. According to social media posts, some businesses lost roofs, while nearby homes and automobiles were damaged by falling trees.

Following the possible tornado, a gas leak forced the evacuation of West Monroe High School, according to the News Star.

Tornado warnings were issued Monday morning as severe weather entered the state. The storms led to reports of downed trees in DeSoto Parish, according to National Weather Service reports.

Monday morning's severe weather was the second wave of nasty storms to hit Louisiana; Sunday evening, there were multiple reports of downed trees after a round of storms moved through northern portions of the state.

Illinois

Homes were damaged and trees were brought down in the Belleville area, southeast of St. Louis.

There were no immediate reports of injuries, but severe weather is expected to continue in parts of southern Illinois into the evening.

Texas

Power outages were numerous across North Texas early Monday morning as a line of damaging storms brought down power lines. According to the Dallas Morning News, electric company Oncor reported 20,000 outages across the state Monday morning, with 8,000 of those occurring in Dallas.

In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, severe storms left some street flooding and downed power lines, according to the Associated Press. No injuries have been reported in Texas from the storms so far.

Winds gusted as high as 74 mph Sunday evening near the town of Dozier, according to local storm reports.

Oklahoma

Damaging winds and large hail were reported Sunday night and early Monday morning in Oklahoma as severe weather moved through the state. In Kiowa County, a mobile home was destroyed and homes were left damaged in Cotton, Jackson and Stephens counties, according to Storm Prediction Center reports.

Interstate 40 in Washita County was closed for about an hour Sunday night after strong winds knocked two tractor-trailers onto their side, according to the Associated Press. Winds gusted as high as 80 mph Sunday night in parts of the state, according to local storm reports.

No tornadoes or injuries were reported from the storms, the AP added.

Missouri

Officials with the National Weather Service in Springfield confirmed an EF0 tornado touched down Monday morning in Lawrence County. The tornado was in progress just before 7 a.m. local time and had maximum wind speeds of 75 mph and stayed on the ground for less than one minute, the NWS confirmed through a damage survey.