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A derecho, or long-lived severe weather system with damaging straight-line winds, moved through Arkansas, North Texas and Louisiana on Thursday, tearing roofs off houses, downing huge trees and knocking out power for hundreds of thousands. At least three tornadoes have been confirmed, an EF1 in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and EF1 near Benton, Kentucky and EF0 near Waldenburg, Arkansas. 

"A warm, moist air mass set up throughout Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas on Thursday. Temperatures were in the upper 80s for much of the region, and dew points were even in the 70s," said weather.com meteorologist Chrissy Warrilow. "This warm, moist air served as the 'fuel' that enhanced and sustained the thunderstorms that developed along a plunging cold front."

(MORE: Severe Weather Tracker)

Texas

Strong storms that barreled through Dallas and Fort Worth left behind damage to buildings and vehicles, knocked out power for hundreds of thousands and at injured at least two people.  Wind gusts reached speeds as high as 83 mph in the town of Wills Point, east of Dallas, according to local storm reports.

At least one person was struck by lightning in Texas, KXII reports. A female teacher at Lamar Elementary School in Denison was getting into her car when lightning struck nearby, the report added. KXII also said she never lost consciousness, but was transferred to Texoma Medical Center for precautionary reasons.

Another person suffered minor injuries after a roof blew off at Arlington Baptist College, the Arlington Police Department reports.

Images on Twitter showed major damage to the Fort Worth Stockyards, a popular tourist attraction with restaurants and clubs. A wall appears to have collapsed and piles of bricks were crushing several vehicles. A revolving door was destroyed by high winds at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, according to National Weather Service storm reports.

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The University of Texas at Arlington classes were canceled on Friday because of power outages and Arlington Independent School District shut down all afterschool activities due to severe weather.

Two apartment complexes suffered structural damage from storms in Arlington, and at least 60 flights were canceled at DFW International Airport as a result of the storms. Dallas Love Field airport delayed incoming and outgoing flights by approximately an hour.

Arkansas 

An EF0 tornado was confirmed near Waldenburg as the derecho moved over Arkansas. 

Elsewhere in the state, wind damage was widespread Thursday night due to gusts as high as 68 mph, NWS reports noted. The control tower at Little Rock National Airport had to be evacuated briefly during a tornado warning Thursday night, leading to the cancelation or diversion of seven flights at the airport, according to the Associated Press.

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Reports Thursday night indicated that cars have crashed into trees blown down by the storms on Interstate 30, according to the National Weather Service. Nearly 40,000 are without power in Arkansas Friday morning.

Louisiana

Numerous trees and power lines were brought down in north Bossier Parish, authorities said. More than 10,000 customers were without power across the state on Friday morning, according to SWEPCO and Entergy. 

One of the trees brought down by the strong winds fell on a mobile home in the Haughton area of Bossier Parish, according to the AP, but no injuries were reported. In Shreveport, a car was crushed by a falling tree, the report added.

Winds gusted as high as 60 mph in Louisiana Thursday night, according to local storm reports.

Alabama

Strong winds moved through the state overnight, leaving moderate damage behind. The Associated Press reports the northwestern Alabama town of Red Bay was hit hard by strong winds that tore the roofs off two homes and left felled trees blocking several streets.

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The AP also mentioned there are power outages in some areas where power lines were brought down, but no injuries have been reported from the storms.

Mississippi

NWS survey teams will check out storm damage to Strayhorn Elementary School in Tate County Friday morning after the building was damaged by passing storms Thursday night, the AP reports. Downed trees and power outages were reported elsewhere in the county Thursday night, but no injuries were reported from this round of severe weather.