Tornado watch: Two dead in Alabama as storms tear through South leaving thousands without power
The storm system is forecast to move east today
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Your support makes all the difference.The “threat for supercells capable of all severe hazards” continued into Wednesday morning, forecasters said, after tornadoes and severe weather tore through much of the southern US overnight on Tuesday and into Wednesday morning.
At least two people were killed in Montgomery, Alabama, the state’s director of emergency management said, noting that there could be more as search-and-rescue crews began checking on residents and surveying the damage on Wednesday.
“They were in their home that was struck by a tree due to the tornado,” said Christina Thornton.
Parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee faced at least 17 tornadoes as well as severe flooding and tennis ball-sized hailstones as warnings continued in Alabama into Wednesday morning.
Images and videos of the aftermath of tornadoes showed damaged houses and fallen trees, while injuries began being reported in states like Mississippi and Louisiana.
High winds downed power lines leaving more than 50,000 customers in Mississippi and Alabama without electricity Wednesday morning, according to poweroutage.us.
Threats from the storms were expected to persist through early Wednesday morning. Later today the storm system is forecast to move east.
Power down and schools delayed in Hale County, Alabama
A tornado has damaged at least 30 houses and knocked out power in part of Hale County, Alabama tonight, according to local media reports.
Rural communities in Akron and Stewart area were hit by a tornado that crossed the Warrior River after causing damages in Eutaw.
Several trees and fallen and power lines have been damaged as hundreds of houses remained without electricity.
Threats from the storms were expected to persist through early Wednesday morning. On Wednesday, the storm system is forecast to move east.
Tornado watch issued for Alabama, Florida and Georgia
Heavy thunderstorms rolled overnight from eastern Texas to Georgia and as far north as Indiana as new tornado watch has been issued for parts of Alabama, Florida and Georgia this morning.
More than a dozen Alabama counties were under a tornado watch this morning with many areas. The watch is set to last until 11am CT.
Large cities including New Orleans, Atlanta, Montgomery and Mobile are in the area at risk on Wednesday.
The National Weather Service confirmed that tornados hit the ground in Mississippi yesterday evening and Alabama was in the forecast path of the storms during the overnight hours.
Major cities included in latest tornado warning include Mobile and Prichard, Alabama
The National Weather Service provided more details about this morning’s tornado warning that was issued across three states, including Georgia, Florida and Alabama.
Cities included in the tornado warning in Alabama, which is valid until 5.45am CT, were Prichard, Chickasaw, Stapleton, Mobile, and Spanish Fort.
Trees down, buildings damaged and injuries reported across the South
In Sumiton, Alabama, located about 25 miles northwest of Birmingham, the fire and rescue team shared pictures late Tuesday night of the damage from the tornadoes and golf ball-sized hail that ripped through the city and wrecked buildings.
While in Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, located about 32 miles south of Monroe, the damage could to people and homes was beginning to make itself clear early in the morning on Wednesday.
According to local news station KNOE, there were already two injuries reported in the area with debris and wreckage piling up on highways.
Hundreds of flights delayed in the US as dozens more cancelled
Early Wednesday morning, nearly 500 flights within, into or out of the US had been delayed with dozens more cancelled as the storm system theatens to cause further delays and wreck havoc on the South.
In total, there were 493 flights that were delayed and 95 cancelled that were going into, within or out of the US, according to FlightAware.
It was not immediately clear whether those cancellations and delays were all related to the weather system.
Tornado warnings issued for parts of Alabama
Early morning tornado warnings continued to be issued in parts of Alabama and Texas as millions of residents across the south hunkered down overnight to take shelter from the severe storm system passing through on Tuesday into Wednesday.
The National Weather Service alerted residents in Texasville and Bakerhill, Alabama to take shelter as a warning was issued for the region, expected to last until 6.45am CT.
Warmer than average temperatures helped fuel Tuesday’s storm
The National Weather Service in Shreveport, Louisiana reported early Wednesday morning that part of what fuelled Tuesday’s severe weather can be attributed to the warmer than average temperatures experienced across the region.
In Shreveport, located in the northwest part of the state, the city recorded a high of 81 degrees Fahrenheit, while over in Texas, the city of Tyler recorded a high of 82 degrees.
Both broke records of 80 degrees, which had been previously set in 1949.
Injuries reported in Montgomery, Alabama
The Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency reports damage with injuries from the storm that pushed through the area, but did not disclose the extent of the injuries or how many people had been hurt.
The damage is to homes and manufactured homes, according to the EMA.
Tornado warnings continues in Alabama
The National Weather Service continued to issue a tornado warning for Barbour County, Alabama, which it said would remain in place until 6.45 AM CT.
At least seven to 10 homes in Mississippi severely damaged after tornadoes rip through state
Homeowners in Mississippi began survey the damage that their properties had suffered late Tuesday night after at least two tornadoes touched down in Choctaw and Lowndes counties.
Video footage and photos from northeastern Lowndes County showed at least seven to 10 homes with significant damage, and a roof from a fire station was entirely torn off.
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