At least one dead after massive tornadoes rip through rural Iowa - toppling homes and shredding wind turbines as 25 million people are put under severe warnings

At least one person lost their life after multiple tornadoes ripped through Iowa and caused huge destruction across the state. 

Houses were flattened and flash flooding gripped rural Iowa and several surrounding cities on Tuesday evening, injuring at least a dozen people and leaving tens of thousands without power. 

Meteorologists warned the carnage could continue through the Midwest as a storm system develops overnight, with millions under severe weather warnings stretching from Missouri to Wisconsin. 

The tornado-related death came in Adams County, Iowa, around 90 miles southwest of Des Moines, the county's medical examiner told CNN. 

Footage showed widespread damage hours after the tornadoes tore through rural Iowa, including entire trees being shredded from their roots. 

In Greenfield, around 40 miles from the death in Adams County, a tornado developed shortly before 5pm local time that levelled hundreds of homes and left several people injured, Iowa State Patrol spokesperson Sgt. Alex Dinkla said. 

Images shared to Facebook by a Greenfield resident saw entire homes reduced to rubble and turned into scattered debris, while brick walls were also flattened by the force of the twister. 

Massive wind turbines were also destroyed by the gusts, however officials said the true extent of the devastation may not be clear until daybreak.  

Heavy cleanup crews have been spotted across the state, with unaffected counties including Guthrie and Madison reportedly enlisted to help clear damage in Greenfield.  

Early reports said multiple tornadoes were also reported in Montgomery County, and Meteorologists warned that the storm system across the Midwest may generate several more catastrophic-strength tornadoes. 

In total across the Midwest, over 25 million people were under at least a Level 3 severe thunderstorm warnings on Tuesday evening. 

Although much of the early damage was contained to rural Iowa, officials warned that several large cities and population centers could find themselves in the storm's path. 

Chicago and Milwaukee are both at risk of being hit by destructive storms, and Des Moines International Airport closed its runways in anticipation of tornadoes potentially landing late Tuesday. 

Multiple regions have also seen flash flooding due to the storms, with heavy rainfall warnings instated across the Midwest.  

Through Tuesday night, the Storm Prediction Center launched a rare 'potentially dangerous situation' tornado watch spanning Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.

The tornado watch is only used when experts believe there is a high chance for multiple, long-lasting tornadoes registering at EF2 or stronger, meaning speeds of at least 111mph. 

Residents in Greenfield described witnessing the devastation across their town, with Valerie Warrior telling KCCI she was our riding her bike when the storm descended. 

'There's houses down all over the place,' Warrior said, noting that she raced to her basement to wait out the tornado before emerging to find the town covered in debris. 

'Devastating,' she added.  

Stunning images from storm chaser Nahel Belgherze focused on the damage seen in one Greenfield street, as a sleepy suburb was turned into rubble within hours. 

Resident Donnell Griffith said despite the carnage, the small town of roughly 2,000 people will recover from the storms. 

'We're a small community, we're a tough community... we will rebuild this community together,' she said. 

'We're small but we're mighty.'