( CNN ) -- Eastern North Carolina cleaned up Saturday from powerful tornadoes that damaged about 200 homes and knocked out power to thousands of customers . Meanwhile , much of the central United States is bracing for even more severe weather in the form of tornadoes , damaging winds and hail . Multiple twisters touched down in an area east of Greenville , North Carolina , to Beaufort County , on Friday evening , the National Weather Service reported . A tornado that struck Whichards Beach in Beaufort County injured 16 people and damaged or destroyed 150-200 homes , reported the Pasquotank-Camden Emergency Management , quoting the National Weather Service . The twister was rated an EF-3 , with winds estimated at 150 mph . Emergency management official said that ended the streak of days without an EF-3 tornado at 158 days . John Pack , spokesman for the Beaufort County Emergency Management , estimated more than 200 homes in that county sustained major damage , and at one point at least 2,500 homes did n't have power . He told CNN that staffers at the National Weather Service , county volunteer fire crews and more than 100 electrical crews were working to assist residents . In Pasquotank County , three tornadoes touched down , destroying 13 homes and causing major damage to 17 homes , the Pasquotank-Camden Emergency Management said . The weather service said those were EF-2 and EF-1 twisters . NC Dominion Power reported 3,100 customers losing power in Pasquotank County . Elizabeth City Public Utilities said approximately 4,000 city customers lost power . In nearby Perquimans County , the story was similar . A spokesman for that county 's emergency management agency , Tom Ponte , told CNN a preliminary assessment showed the storm damaged 38 homes and left about 1,770 residents without power . According to Ponte , the county is opening a shelter for residents displaced by the storm and roads are being cleared by the county fire department , with assistance from the North Carolina Department of Forestry . The National Weather Service 's Storm Prediction Center , which monitors severe weather across the United States , said severe weather will move over other parts of the United States over the next three days . That 's all due to a storm that 's moving eastward from the Rockies . CNN meteorologist Matt Daniels predicts a slight risk of severe storms Saturday evening from central Texas into southeast South Dakota . This may include damaging winds and large hail , but does not rule out a few tornadoes . On Sunday , most of Arkansas and neighboring areas -- including Shreveport , Louisiana , and Springfield , Missouri -- face the highest chance of severe weather , though states as far north as North Dakota , and southeast to Georgia , also could be in harm 's way . The SPC said it may upgrade Sunday 's threat level from moderate to `` high risk . '' This would be the first `` high risk '' threat this year -- a warning that is typically issued only a few times a year . The danger zone shifts farther east on Monday , with Memphis , Tennessee , and Tupelo , Mississippi , among the cities most likely to get hit . There is also a slight risk of storms stretching into the Midwest , north Georgia and the western Carolinas . These storms could produce damaging winds , large hail and tornadoes ( some could be strong ) throughout the day . And yet more severe weather looms for Tuesday . The Storm Prediction Center notes that these threats come in a year that has been -- so far -- one of the quietest for tornadoes in U.S. history . Already , the country has set a record for going the longest into a new year without a tornado fatality . CNN 's Ralph Ellis , Dave Hennen , Suzanne Presto , John Branch and Stephen Daniel contributed to this story .
Lightning hit eastern North Carolina . Hundreds of homes damaged , thousands lose power . Weather : Conditions could be dangerous from Monday through Tuesday . Rain , wind and hail are possible throughout Midwest and South .