Take cover: Residents are being warned to stay indoors as the massive tornado touches down in the Dallas-Fort Worth area
Twister: A piece of a tractor-trailer is shown being blown above Dallas County, Texas, as a massive tornado touches down in the region
Powerful storm: A close-up view shows the airborne tractor-trailer above the Dallas Fort-Worth region
This aerial picture shows the trail of destruction left by a tornado that hit Lancaster peeling roofs off some homes and completely flattening others
Residents in Arlington go through their belongings in an upstairs area after a tornado ripped the roof off their home
Yuomiko Paige, center left, hugs her neighbor Doris Sparks as Sparks breaks down while relaying the extent of the damage to Diamond Creek in Forney over the phone
Personal belongings are scattered outside a house damaged in Kennedale
Driving hazard: Cars try to navigate around debris scattered in the street in southern Dallas County
Beyond recognition: A heavily damaged home is barely recognisable after a tornado moved through Lancaster, Texas
'It was insane. We have a lot of windows in our house. The whole house started shaking and in five seconds it was completely done,' she told ABC's Dallas affiliate WFAA.
A grandmother in Diamond Creeks, Forney, where 20 to 30 homes were severely damaged, sought refuge in a bath-tub with her grandchildren as the walls of her home collapsed. The woman was forced to hold on to her 18-month-old grandson's legs as the powerful winds almost swept him away, the toddler suffered minor injuries.
Officer Paul Beck in the Dallas suburb of Lancaster says 10 people were injured when a reported tornado touched down there Tuesday.
He says two of those injuries are severe but did not have further details.
Assistant Arlington fire chief Jim Self says three people suffered minor injuries there, including two residents of a nursing home who were taken to a hospital after swirling winds clipped the building.
At the nearby Omni Mandalay Las Colinas hotel, tornado sirens sounded, alerting guests to get to safety.
'The hotel has not been evacuated but we do have guests under cover,' said a telephone receptionist at 421-room hotel.
The storm is believed to have leveled several homes, and tens of thousands of others are without power.
Personal belongings are scattered outside a house damaged in Kennedale
Emergency response: A firefighter strides past a damaged house after a tornado tore through Lancaster
Ravaged: Debris is scattered on the streets of Arlington after at least two incredibly large tornadoes roared through the city
This house in Lancaster appears to have been flattened by the powerful funnel which moved through the area
Devastation: Two men clean up outside a damaged house after a tornado moved through in Lancaster
Arlington police officer Rick Stewart (L) and Tarrant County constable Clint C. Burgess (C) rescue a dog that belongs to David Lowe's (R) daughter after a tornado destroyed her home