The National Weather Service issued tornado watches for more than 2 million people on Saturday. An "outbreak" of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms is expected through Saturday night in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, western Georgia, southern Tennessee, the Florida Panhandle and southern Arkansas.

Weather forecasters warn about a major multiple-day outbreak of severe weather that includes multiple strong tornadoes from the Mississippi Valley to the Gulf Coast, Great Lakes and Atlantic coast through the weekend.

A tornado outbreak is likely on Saturday across the central Gulf Coast States and Deep South into the Tennessee Valley. Numerous significant tornadoes, some of which should be long-track and potentially violent,