A destructive and deadly week-long stretch of storms and tornadoes in the central US has finally ended, but more danger could be on tap for much of the East on Friday.

The final blow in the heartland came in the form of hurricane-force wind gusts and more than a dozen reported tornadoes that raked through towns in the Midwest and Plains on Thursday, leveling homes in Indiana and Illinois. They were joined by a separate bout of powerful storms that downed trees and knocked out power in parts of the Northeast.

At least three people were killed Thursday, all struck by falling trees.

All told, there have been nearly 1,500 reports of wind damage, hail and tornadoes in the central and eastern US since Sunday — one of the most active periods of severe storms so far this year.

Friday’s severe storms in the East will only pile on; the expansive potential storm zone spans from eastern New York and western New England south to North Carolina, and includes major cities like New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC.

Thursday’s storms struck the Midwest in two rounds.

A 54-year old man in Des Moines, Iowa, was killed by a downed tree during the first round of storms in the morning. The tree broke apart and fell in a homeless encampment as storms moved through the city. The police are working to confirm the man’s identity.

The tornado threat increased during a second round of storms later in the day, particularly in Indiana and Illinois, where most of at least 17 tornadoes were reported.

They included a tornado emergency, the highest-level tornado warning, in Marshall County, in north central Illinois.

About 30 miles east, emergency crews were assessing damage in the city of Streator, Illinois, after a tornado moved through the area Thursday evening. Drone video shows significant damage to multiple houses, some with their roofs entirely torn off.