A series of major tornadoes broke out across the south and Midwest Sunday night leaving at least 18 dead.

Officials in Arkansas say a tornado that at one point had a base half a mile wide ripped through Little Rock suburbs Vilonia and Mayflower.  The mayor of Vilonia told FoxNews that the tornado essentially obliterated his town’s downtown business district.

Authorities say the tornado first touched down around 7 p.m. and caused destruction along an 80-mile path.  A brand new intermediate school built with $14 million in taxpayer dollars and scheduled to open in the fall was destroyed.

“We’re probably going to have to start all over again,” Vilonia Schools Superintendent Frank Mitchell said.

Arkansas officials said that a tornado struck on Interstate 40 destroying cars and leaving tractor trailers in twisted heaps.

Another twister destroyed most of Quapaw, Oklahoma and left one person dead before turning into Kansas and destroying over 70 homes in Baxter Springs.