NATCHEZ — A tornado struck Little Rock, Arkansas, on Friday afternoon, causing major damage to parts of that city. No deaths have been reported.

The storm flipped cars and destroyed and heavily damaged homes. Search and rescue were ongoing early Friday evening.

The tornado was the result of a large severe thunderstorm system that swathed a large portion of the Midwest on Friday and is expected to continue in the South through tonight.

In the Miss-Lou, the National Weather Service in Jackson forecasts a marginal risk for severe thunderstorms through Friday night.

“Isolated severe thunderstorms are possible through tonight. Some thunderstorms could produce damaging wind gusts and hail. A tornado cannot be ruled out,” according to an alert released at 3:35 p.m. from the National Weather Service in Jackson.

The weather service’s forecast for Natchez calls for a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms tonight, mainly after midnight. Otherwise, skies will be mostly cloudy with a low around 65 degrees.