A cross-country storm will explode in strength as it moves over the central United States Friday, delivering extreme weather to millions through the weekend, including the chance of multiple strong tornadoes.

Dangerous weather conditions will peak Saturday, with one of the most prolific tornado-producing setups in years expected to develop over the Deep South — with disastrous results likely.

AccuWeather's Jon Porter warns of a triple threat facing the central U.S., which include fire danger in the South, blizzards in the North and damaging winds and tornadoes in the heart of the nation.

Storm chasers and forecasters are warning of a high risk for dangerous tornadic storms in the Midwest and Gulf Coast.

Intense storms with winds gusting up to 90 mph and hail the size of baseballs are forecast to strike a large area of the Midwest and South on Friday, the National Weather Service warned.

A powerful storm system is set to bring multiple rounds of dangerous severe thunderstorms, with numerous strong tornadoes possible, from the Midwest to the Southeast beginning Friday. Threat level: A total of about 100 million people live in areas under threat from straight-line wind damage,