Many states in the South and Midwest dealt with extreme weather over the Christmas holiday and those powerful storms have claimed the lives at least 43 people.
The National Weather Service noted that Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and the Florida Panhandle were battered by either torrential downpours, high wind gusts, tornadoes or all three.
CBSDFW reported that at least 11 people were killed and several more were injured after tornadoes ripped through the Dallas area. One of the tornadoes was classified as an EF-4 and the damage left behind by the storm had Texas Gov. Greg Abbott making disaster declarations for four counties.
Some other parts of Texas, as well as Oklahoma, New Mexico and Missouri dealt with heavy snowfall and flooding from the massive system. At least eight people died after flooding in Missouri, which caused Gov. Jay Nixon to declare a state of emergency. In New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez also declared a state of emergency due to whiteout conditions from the snowstorm.
In addition to all the problems on the ground, numerous flights at several airports were cancelled because of the severe weather.