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(CNN) -- Forecasters warned thousands to take cover as severe storms pummeled parts of Arkansas and Tennessee early Thursday, while communities in neighboring states picked up the pieces after tornadoes cut a path of destruction a day earlier.
A line of strong thunderstorms stretches from northern Indiana all the way to Mississippi, National Weather Service radar showed.
At least 16 people have died in the latest round of storms that struck Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas late Tuesday and early Wednesday. Ten people were killed in Oklahoma, four in Arkansas and two in Kansas, authorities said.
The National Weather Service warned residents from Memphis to Nashville to take shelter and, in some cases, evacuate after spotters reported a possible tornado moving toward eastern Tennessee communities.
The jet stream disturbance partly responsible for Tuesday's deadly tornado outbreak could cause severe storm activity Wednesday night across large portions of the South, from Louisiana to the lower Great Lakes region, the weather service warned.
Huge swathes of the region face a "particularly dangerous situation," including destructive tornadoes, golf-ball sized hail and wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour, the weather service said.
The most severe damage appeared to be in central Oklahoma's Canadian County, which includes a sliver of Oklahoma City.
At least seven people were killed and more than 100 were wounded, according to the sheriff's department and the county's emergency management office. Others were still missing, authorities said.
Search and rescue teams worked into the night Wednesday, searching for a 3-year-old who disappeared during the storms in Canadian County.
Tents and mobile units were set up to aid in the search for Ryan Hamil, who was with his pregnant mother and his siblings in their home when the storm hit, said Pam Capener, the boy's great-aunt.
Capener said she believes the family had taken refuge in a bathtub when the storm barreled through, killing 15-month-old Cole and injuring the mother, Catherine Hamil, and 5-year-old Cathleen.
"I don't know if they were thrown out," she said.
The mother, Catherine, was listed in stable condition, Capener said. "They did get the heartbeat of the baby yesterday, so the baby's stable."
The father, Hank Hamil, was out of town Tuesday when the storms struck. He has since returned and is searching for Ryan, Capener said.
"Last I heard, they're searching a 16-mile stretch," she said.
The family started a fund to raise money for hospital expenses. The Hamil Family Assistance Fund already had close to $6,000 in pledges by late Wednesday, Capener said.
While search and rescue teams combed the area looking for Ryan, the search by the Wood family for their missing Boxer dog came to an end in nearby Piedmont, Oklahoma,
Frank Wood said he was forced to shut the door to their shelter Tuesday, leaving their dog Roxie outside.
"I couldn't get her," he told CNN. "The storm was basically just circulating right around the corner. I didn't really have a choice. She just kept running away from me. She was so scared and skittish."
When Wood and his two children emerged from their storm shelter, the house had been ripped to shreds and Roxie was gone.
She was found Wednesday at a construction site nearly two miles from the Woods' family home. Chesapeake Energy worker David Franco found the Boxer and identified her from her dog tag, Wood said.
It's been a historic tornado season in the U.S. More than 500 people have been killed, according to figures from the National Weather Service and local authorities. That makes 2011 the deadliest season since 1953, when 519 people were killed in twisters.
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency Wednesday in 68 Oklahoma counties hit by the tornadoes and other severe weather. Only nine counties in the state were not included in the declaration.
"Our hearts go out to those who lost their loved ones in the storms last night, and our thoughts and prayers continue to be with all the families and communities that have been affected," Craig Fugate, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said in a statement Wednesday.
Twisters also brewed in Dallas and several northern Texas counties, according to the National Weather Service.
In Dallas, a man died Wednesday after being electrocuted by power line that appear to have been downed during the storm, said Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans.
The storms also disrupted air traffic, forcing the cancellation of more than 140 flights at Dallas- Fort Worth International Airport because of hailstorms that moved through early Wednesday.
About 10,000 were stranded at the airport overnight, said Sarah McDaniel, an airport spokeswoman. Passengers and staff were forced to evacuate shelters inside the airport as storms moved in, she said.
About 65 American Airlines and American Eagle aircraft were pulled from service because of weather damage, McDaniel said.
Southwest Airlines said Wednesday that it took eight aircraft out of service for inspections and repairs because of weather-related damage.
Operations at Love Field in Dallas were suspended for a time Wednesday night, spokesman Jose Torres said. The airport moved all passengers and personnel into an airport basement for an hour as winds kicked up and power was lost, Torres said.
A line of strong thunderstorms stretches from northern Indiana all the way to Mississippi, National Weather Service radar showed.
At least 16 people have died in the latest round of storms that struck Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas late Tuesday and early Wednesday. Ten people were killed in Oklahoma, four in Arkansas and two in Kansas, authorities said.
The National Weather Service warned residents from Memphis to Nashville to take shelter and, in some cases, evacuate after spotters reported a possible tornado moving toward eastern Tennessee communities.
The jet stream disturbance partly responsible for Tuesday's deadly tornado outbreak could cause severe storm activity Wednesday night across large portions of the South, from Louisiana to the lower Great Lakes region, the weather service warned.
Huge swathes of the region face a "particularly dangerous situation," including destructive tornadoes, golf-ball sized hail and wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour, the weather service said.
The most severe damage appeared to be in central Oklahoma's Canadian County, which includes a sliver of Oklahoma City.
At least seven people were killed and more than 100 were wounded, according to the sheriff's department and the county's emergency management office. Others were still missing, authorities said.
Search and rescue teams worked into the night Wednesday, searching for a 3-year-old who disappeared during the storms in Canadian County.
Tents and mobile units were set up to aid in the search for Ryan Hamil, who was with his pregnant mother and his siblings in their home when the storm hit, said Pam Capener, the boy's great-aunt.
Capener said she believes the family had taken refuge in a bathtub when the storm barreled through, killing 15-month-old Cole and injuring the mother, Catherine Hamil, and 5-year-old Cathleen.
"I don't know if they were thrown out," she said.
The mother, Catherine, was listed in stable condition, Capener said. "They did get the heartbeat of the baby yesterday, so the baby's stable."
The father, Hank Hamil, was out of town Tuesday when the storms struck. He has since returned and is searching for Ryan, Capener said.
"Last I heard, they're searching a 16-mile stretch," she said.
The family started a fund to raise money for hospital expenses. The Hamil Family Assistance Fund already had close to $6,000 in pledges by late Wednesday, Capener said.
While search and rescue teams combed the area looking for Ryan, the search by the Wood family for their missing Boxer dog came to an end in nearby Piedmont, Oklahoma,
Frank Wood said he was forced to shut the door to their shelter Tuesday, leaving their dog Roxie outside.
"I couldn't get her," he told CNN. "The storm was basically just circulating right around the corner. I didn't really have a choice. She just kept running away from me. She was so scared and skittish."
When Wood and his two children emerged from their storm shelter, the house had been ripped to shreds and Roxie was gone.
She was found Wednesday at a construction site nearly two miles from the Woods' family home. Chesapeake Energy worker David Franco found the Boxer and identified her from her dog tag, Wood said.
It's been a historic tornado season in the U.S. More than 500 people have been killed, according to figures from the National Weather Service and local authorities. That makes 2011 the deadliest season since 1953, when 519 people were killed in twisters.
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin declared a state of emergency Wednesday in 68 Oklahoma counties hit by the tornadoes and other severe weather. Only nine counties in the state were not included in the declaration.
"Our hearts go out to those who lost their loved ones in the storms last night, and our thoughts and prayers continue to be with all the families and communities that have been affected," Craig Fugate, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said in a statement Wednesday.
Twisters also brewed in Dallas and several northern Texas counties, according to the National Weather Service.
In Dallas, a man died Wednesday after being electrocuted by power line that appear to have been downed during the storm, said Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans.
The storms also disrupted air traffic, forcing the cancellation of more than 140 flights at Dallas- Fort Worth International Airport because of hailstorms that moved through early Wednesday.
About 10,000 were stranded at the airport overnight, said Sarah McDaniel, an airport spokeswoman. Passengers and staff were forced to evacuate shelters inside the airport as storms moved in, she said.
About 65 American Airlines and American Eagle aircraft were pulled from service because of weather damage, McDaniel said.
Southwest Airlines said Wednesday that it took eight aircraft out of service for inspections and repairs because of weather-related damage.
Operations at Love Field in Dallas were suspended for a time Wednesday night, spokesman Jose Torres said. The airport moved all passengers and personnel into an airport basement for an hour as winds kicked up and power was lost, Torres said.
