Slideshow: Tornadoes ravage Plains

Ed Zurga / EPA

A monster tornado hit Moore, Okla., Monday afternoon, leaving at least 24 dead as the threat of further storms continues.

Launch slideshow

Tornado warnings were in effect all over the map on Tuesday, with areas from the Midwest to the Northeast being advised to take precautions during what was another day of wild and severe weather.

There were no significant tornado threats overnight, but parts of the country may be in danger of seeing twisters Wednesday afternoon, Weather Channel meteorologist Carl Parker said.  However it is unlikely that any potential tornadoes formed in the next 24 hours would be anywhere near the size of the one that ravaged Oklahoma on Monday, according to Parker.

Ohio and areas near the Great Lakes are most at risk of damaging wind gusts, large hail and tornadoes on Wednesday, according to The Weather Channel.

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It is better news than Tuesday, when 9.5 million people were in danger of experiencing "large and devastating" tornadoes as the deadly storm system moved east, forecasters warned.

And it was not just contained to Tornado Alley. Areas of western Massachusetts and Connecticut as well as eastern New York State also were issued tornado warnings Tuesday evening.

While many of these places have been experiencing strong winds and rain, none reported any twisters.

Tornado watches were in effect for portions of Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri and Tennessee until 11 p.m. ET. Eastern Texas, central Louisiana and Mississippi were issued a severe thunderstorm warning going into Wednesday morning.

Severe rain and flooding caused havoc throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth area Tuesday afternoon. Area schools let out early and even the Dallas zoo closed to protect animals and visitors.

Weather Channel forecaster Bill Karins said the upcoming holiday weekend may provide some relief.

"An early look at Memorial Day weekend shows that most of the country should be quiet. The stormiest weather appears to be across the Plains and Midwest with scattered showers and thunderstorms," he said.

• Full coverage of the Oklahoma tornadoes from NBC News
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This story was originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 12:03 AM EDT

FORT WORTH - A man stole a car with a sleeping toddler inside Thursday afternoon.

Fabiola Garcia said the thief jumped into her still-running car when she stopped at a garage sale at about 3:30 p.m. in South Henderson Street in Fort Worth, Texas.

Her son, 2-year-old Ricardo Calderon, was sleeping inside the car.

"They came across the street and told me the little boy was in the car, and I called the police back and told them it was a kidnapping," witness Bobby Duncan said.

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Police say the car thief didn't go very far before stopping the car and letting little boy out about 15 minutes later.

Garcia said she thanks God that Ricardo was not harmed.

The stolen car was still missing late Thursday. Police were searching for the thief.

NBCDFW.com

Federal investigators will look into a plane crash south of Paris, Texas on Saturday morning that killed three men from Utah.

The Texas Department of Public Safety told NBCDFW.com that the victims were the pilot 49-year-old Rob Thompson and passengers 50-year-old Michael Endo and 44-year-old Michael Dale Bradley.  All three men were from the Salt Lake City area.

FAA spokesman Roland Herwig said the single engine turbo prop Piper PA-46 crashed shortly before 9:00 a.m. local time (10 a.m. ET).

The FAA radar lost contact with the plane 10-miles south of Paris. Lamar County Sheriff's Deputies found the wreckage a short time later.

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The bodies of three people were found on board the aircraft, which had been completely destroyed by fire.

The deceased were taken to the Collin County Medical Examiner's Office.

According the FAA registry, the plane was registered to a company in Salt Lake City, Utah.  The aircraft's owner is Celtic Bank, Incorporated.

Investigators with the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are headed to the scene to determine what caused the crash.

Paris, Texas is about 105 miles or a two-hour drive northeast from Dallas.