Debris is seen from a destroyed home northwest of Omaha, Nebraska, after a storm tore through the area on Friday.

Destructive tornadoes gutted homes as they plowed through Nebraska and Iowa, and the “dangerous” weather threat escalated significantly on Saturday as tornado-spawning storms posed a risk from Michigan to Texas.

The area of Elkhorn in Omaha, Nebraska, is one of the hardest-hit communities after severe storms barreled through parts of the Plains and South early Friday afternoon, authorities said. A powerful tornado leveled homes, which crews searched for anyone trapped or injured, local authorities said.

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen told reporters Saturday it is a miracle there were no deaths.

After visiting impacted areas, the governor said viewing the damage was extraordinarily sobering, adding he met a few families who lost their homes after living in them for only a few months.

One of the tornadoes to hit Douglas County had a preliminary rating of EF-3 with winds topping 135 mph, according to Chris Franks with the National Weather Service. The other, which hit Omaha’s airport, appeared to be an EF-2, he added.

Meanwhile in nearby Iowa, a large tornado was reported in the small city of Minden, according to the National Weather Service. Footage obtained by CNN shows the devastation of mangled structures and widespread debris.

The severe weather threat is expected to continue through Sunday, with Saturday possibly being the most dangerous day. Strong tornadoes are possible from Nebraska to Texas, including Dallas, Austin, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Kansas City and Wichita.

A rare Particularly Dangerous Situation tornado watch affecting nearly 2 million people was issued, in effect until 8 p.m. local time Saturday. It includes Enid, Oklahoma, Wichita Falls, Texas, Oklahoma City and its western suburbs, and the city of Norman. The counties of Cleveland, McClain, Oklahoma, Payne, Garvin, Jefferson and Stephens were added Saturday afternoon.

Such tornado watches are issued when there is high confidence of multiple strong or violent tornadoes, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Supercells with large hail and damaging winds are expected, with the most intense producing strong or potentially long-tracked tornadoes.

A tornado watch – affecting 1.5 million people – was issued by the storm center earlier Saturday across eastern Kansas and southeastern Nebraska, including the cities of Topeka and Wichita. The watch includes threats of a few tornadoes and a couple intense twisters, widespread large hail and damaging wind gusts up to 75 mph until 7 p.m. local time.

A third tornado watch was later issued for parts of Kansas, Iowa and Missouri, in effect until 9 p.m. local time. It includes St. Joseph, Missouri, and suburbs outside of Kansas City, Missouri, and Des Moines, Iowa. The latest watch brought the total affected population to nearly 4 million people.

And 18 million people across Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas are under flood watches through Sunday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Long-track destructive tornadoes and heavy rain are expected, with the worst of the storms during the evening and overnight on Saturday.