Tornado rips through Jonesboro, Arkansas

Image courtesy City of Jonesboro twitter account

Severe weather spawned a tornado in northeast Arkansas, damaging shopping areas in the city of Jonesboro.

Local media coverage showed buildings missing walls and with roofs ripped away Saturday. There are no immediate reports of injuries.

Jonesboro E-911 Director Jeff Presley tells TV station KAIT that a mall was damaged and that first responders were searching the area.

Forecasters with the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, warned that a severe weather outbreak was possible for much of the central U.S. Forecasters said tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds are possible, particularly in parts of Illinois and Iowa.